The Immortal Years
by tesstesstessa
Summary: Before the Chosen One, there was a war. A war that ended in a spark of hope. A spark of hope that began with one boy, one girl, and a dark, dark time.
1. Prologue: Back to the Beginning

**A/N: **Welcome, welcome, welcome. Finally, this insatiable fanfic urge can be fulfilled. Read and enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters. Copyright JK Rowling. Also, cover art belongs to viria13 on deviantart.

* * *

Prologue: Back to the Beginning

_"There's one way back to home again_  
_To where I feel forgiven"_

Civil Twilight, "Human"

A great man once said that the world is a stage, and men and women merely players. If this story had been a play, it wouldn't have been a happy one - at least, not until seventeen years after this chapter closed. Each of these players had their entrances, their stage time, and their exits.  
This is no comedy. But its ending is a beginning of a story of hope and love and courage and friendship. So, perhaps it is right that this story should start with the end of the beginning.

The air in the Ministry was charged with magic, the silvery veiled arch shimmering in the light from wands. Sirius Black flicked his wand, aiming a hex at Dolohov, but he missed. Gritting his teeth, Sirius dodged the Death Eater's counterattack. He'd never liked him, the crafty little bastard. Their spells met in midair, and Sirius wrenched his wand away, ducking. Dolohov raised his wand, and Sirius knew what was coming, a protection spell on the tip of his tongue-

"_Petrificus totalus_!" a voice shouted, and in his giddy adrenaline rush, Sirius thought, Prongs! But when he turned to see his saviour, green eyes held his gaze. Harry. Sirius hated his heart for sinking, just a little. He pushed aside the thought, and grinned appreciatively at his godson.  
"Nice one. Now, I want you to-" Instinct - and Harry's eyes widening behind his glasses - told Sirius to duck again, and was rewarded when a streak of green light whizzed past his ear. He closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the fight. He'd never been able to resist one, and growing older hadn't taken that away. Good old Moony had never stopped lecturing him about his irresponsibility... He picked out his friend's familiar figure in the fray, his wand whipping left and right with a vengeance. A rush of affection almost blinded him, and he was amazed that, in the middle of all this mayhem, he could still feel things other than fear. Turning back to Harry, he said, "Round up the others and go!"

Harry nodded, his expression fiercely determined. He had never looked more like James in that moment, thought Sirius, and yet, the green eyes - Lily's eyes - screamed out to his memories. He bit back a smile at the thought of Prongs and Lily... those were the days... Harry stood up, letting the Longbottom boy lean on him. Sirius glanced at him too; he was the spitting image of Alice. He gave them an encouraging smile, and looked to the fray.

He was just in time to see a body tumble down the steps, horribly lifeless and with shockingly pink hair. A surge of rage filled him, along with the recognition - who had done this? Dromeda's daughter - if anything happened to her, he'd make them pay - and then he recognised the Death Eater skipping over Tonks's body and joining the battle. The mad glee, and the rat-tailed hair... She was unmistakable. Frank and Alice Longbottom swam before his eyes. Forget about torturing to the point of madness, she would kill her own niece? No, Sirius resolved. He'd die before he saw it happen.

Running to meet his cousin, Sirius focused all his energy on Bellatrix Lestrange. He had never hated anyone more, and he surged forward to face her.

Flick, swish, jab, dodge. Sirius could feel a smirk tickling the edge of his mouth. He was more than a match for her, really, and _she_ was Voldemort's fabled lieutenant! It was almost laughable. Swish, dodge, duck. Bellatrix's face contorted in anger, and Sirius let his smile grow. He was winning - he would beat her here, and she knew it. He felt so young again, a fighter, a best friend, a best man, trusted. Wanted. They needed him, and he could prove it.

Terror was creeping into Bellatrix's eyes, and Sirius was barely paying attention. Perhaps the Duelling Club in their second year had actually done him some good, he reflected idly. He could see Moony out of the corner of his eye, herding Harry and his friends out of harm's way. Good; if Harry was safe, he could relax. Bellatrix shot a gloriously misaimed spell at him, and Sirius laughed openly. A thousand other Siriuses laughed back at him from the walls of the cavernous hall.

"Come on, is that the best you can -"

He stopped in the middle of his sentence, finding that he didn't have the energy to finish it. Why was he so tired suddenly? He watched Bellatrix's fury melt into triumph, tossing her wand up in the air and catching it again. Now she was laughing, and her laughter joined the echoes of his own. He was so tired - all he wanted was to sleep. Something curiously warm brushed against his arm, and he leaned into it, imagining it was a pillow. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear someone shouting his name, but he was too tired to answer.

All he wanted was rest, at last.

* * *

**A/N:** Short and sweet, I know. Okay, maybe not sweet. But let me not deter you.

Reviews are happy Marauders!

Love and cupcakes,

Tessa


	2. The First Casualty

**A/N:** Okay, if you're still reading, I may just marry you. And excuse the many Taylor Swift quotes. I couldn't help myself.

And just so you know, Tess isn't named after me, or anything.

**Copyright JK Rowling. Cover art belongs to the fabulous viria13 on deviantart.**

* * *

1. The First Casualty

_"I hate what didn't kill me,_

_It never made me stronger."_

Ed Sheeran, "Drunk"

"Oi, WAKE UP!"

And so, he was unceremoniously dragged from sleep. A grinning face was centimetres from his, grey eyes identical to his twinkling at him. "Wanna go get drunk?"

He snorted. "I sincerely hope you're joking."

"You promised to teach me how," she pouted.

"There's nothing to teach. Keep the liquor down. And you've got that in your genes already." She backed away, still pouting, and he tumbled out of bed. He was pleased to see that he didn't have a headache. Good; maybe he really was becoming immune to hangovers.

"Come on. Admit that you've always wanted to wake up and get drunk," she prodded.

"Mostly, I like to wake up without a hangover from the previous night of drinking," he said, peering in the mirror. "So, not particularly, sweetheart."

"Don't call me 'sweetheart'," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I'm your cousin."

"Yes, well, that isn't as frowned upon as it would be if you were my sister..." He trailed off, grinning at her horror. "I'm only joking."

She snorted. "I know you were. Hurry up, would you?"

He ignored this last part, studying his black untidy-in-a-good-way hair. "Some might say I am a terrible influence on you."

"Let them talk, eh?"

He grinned again. "I've taught you well, Tess." Minutes passed, and he only looked at his own reflection.

"Are you doing this on purpose?" she asked, impatience in her voice.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, I was a little distracted by the handsome fellow in the mirror. You see him too?"

She coughed, and it sounded rather like, "Vain."

"Sweetheart," he emphasised, "this morning ritual is not in vain. Appearances are important, especially at weddings, when there are many available young women. Now, tell me. Am I presentable this morning?"  
She gazed heavenwards beseechingly. "Drop-dead gorgeous." Pleased, he smiled, and was about to step into the bathroom to change, when she added, "Not like James, though."

His smile didn't break; it grew bigger. "Sweetheart, James and I are a team. The point isn't whether or not he is more charming than I, though it is a _very_ debatable point. The point is that, combined, we are invincible."

She rolled her eyes again. "You're ridiculous."

"No," he deadpanned. "I'm Sirius, actually."

She couldn't hold back her smile then. "Get changed, sleepyhead."

"Besides, I think all of the Black family outcasts are borderline insane, a category I am proud to belong in," he continued, shutting the door.

"Which category, Black family outcasts, or people who are borderline insane?" she asked.

"Both."

Tess could hear him smiling, and she grinned too. Life was good when you were a Black family outcast, borderline insane, and Sirius Black's favourite little cousin.

"_We're happy, free, confused and lonely in the best way_

_It's miserable and magical, oh yeah"_

Taylor Swift, "22"

"Alice!" Lily shrieked, practically pouncing on her friend.

"Oh, Lily - ouch, that hurts." Alice hugged her tightly in response.

Lily quickly let go. "Sorry. But, ALICE HART, YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!"

"I noticed," Alice said dryly. Lily grinned.

"I can't believe it. Eighteen, and _married_, Alice..."

Alice grimaced. "My mum said the same thing, except she looked like she was going to faint."

Both the girls laughed. Lily squeezed Alice's hand. "Should I go see to the bridesmaids?"

Alice smiled. "See, I knew it was a good idea inviting a prefect."

Lily smacked her on the shoulder playfully. "I'll go find them. You stay put, and look pretty." She moved towards the door to leave the room, but she noticed Alice's hesitation. "What is it?"

"I thought I should tell you..." Alice began, steeling herself for the job. "_He's_ here."  
Lily could feel her smile becoming strained. With Alice's tone, there was no doubt as to who exactly he was. "Oh, I see," she said softly.

"I'm ever so sorry - I thought you'd take it badly, so I didn't tell you before - but you know he's friends with Frank, and-"

Lily laughed, but it sounded a little half-hearted. Immediately, she smiled wider. This was Alice's special day, and no one would spoil that. "It's all right, Alice. I was expecting it, actually. You don't have to apologise."

"But after, you know, The Thing during your OWLs, you two have been so..."

"We've been like we've always been," said Lily shortly. "As in, no us. He has a problem with that. I don't. It's been almost three years of this, Alice. I can't very well avoid him all my life."

Alice sighed. "If you're sure-"

"You can't uninvite him, Liss," she chuckled.

"We could throw him out in the middle," suggested Alice. "Claim he's been drinking obscenely-"

"You wouldn't," Lily said.

"We wouldn't," the other admitted. "But it still made you feel better."

Lily grinned. "I'm going to find the bridesmaids, Liss." She pushed through the door. As she started down the corridor, she heard Alice call, "Don't forget to change yourself, Evans!"

Lily laughed to herself, and the sound echoed back to her. Excitement bubbled up in her like a brewing potion, and no one could stop it, least of all James Potter.

"_Everything will be all right if_

_You keep me next to you"_

Taylor Swift, "22"

Mary Macdonald was hysterical.

She blamed the lipstick, really. It was her signature shade, Pearl Pale. She treasured every single stick of Pearl Pale, especially this last one, since it had been the only one in the store. Being a bridesmaid wasn't doing wonders for her nerves, anyway, and when the very last Pearl Pale had rolled off the dresser and snapped in two on the floor, all hell broke loose. Mary had calmly picked up a towel and laid it over her bridesmaid's dress. And then, she'd burst into tears. Poor Mrs Hart had been comforting her - or trying to - for the past fifteen minutes, but the tears just wouldn't stop coming. A quick _reparo_ spell had put the stick together, but it came apart when Mrs. Hart picked it up again.

"I'm going to look awful!" bawled Mary. "Awful, awful, awful - oh, I'll ruin the whole wedding!"

"Shh, Mary, it's only lipstick," said a bewildered Mrs Hart.

"It's Pearl Pale!" protested Mary. "It isn't just any lipstick!"

Mary heard unmistakable relief in Mrs Hart's voice when footsteps sounded at the door. "Oh, Lily, dear, thank goodness!"

"Hello, Mrs Hart," said Lily's voice, and Mary looked in the vague direction of the door. Through the film of tears, she could see her redheaded friend, wearing jeans and a black shirt and carrying huge bags.

"Lily, I'm having a mental breakdown!" she shrieked.

"Oh, Mary," Lily sighed. "Come on, let's get you fixed." She dried Mary's cheeks with a tissue. "I have something you might need."

"What?" Mary sniffled. "I can't be a bridesmaid, Lil, I can't."

"Nonsense. Here." And reaching into her purse, Lily pulled out a small, pink, cylindrical object.

Mary gasped. "Is that-"

"Yes," said Lily, sounding amused. "I don't know how, but one of your Pearl Pale sticks got mixed up with my things. We really ought to pack more responsibly."

"Lily Evans," proclaimed Mary, taking the lipstick, "you are an angel."

"Possibly," Lily agreed, grinning. Then, turning to Alice's mother, she said, "I'm really sorry, Mrs Hart, but my mum just couldn't make it. She's ill - something she ate, we think."

"That's a shame," said Mrs Hart. "I haven't spoken to her in so long. What about your sister, dear?"

Mary and Lily both flinched. Obviously, Alice hadn't told her mother about Lily's... sibling problems. "Petunia had other engagements," Lily said finally.

"A shame," Mrs Hart said again. "Well, dear, why don't you get changed?"

"I will - but since we're so early already, why don't I check all the flowers?"

"You really don't have to, dear; Frank's mother said she'd see to them-"

"It's all right, Mrs Hart. I'm rather good with flowers," Lily said.

"I'll come too," Mary added hurriedly. "Maybe some walking will do me good."

Mrs Hart hesitated, a small frown between her eyes. "Oh, all right," she relented. "But Mary, if anything happens to your dress, I will personally-"

"I'll be very careful," Mary grinned. "And besides, Lily's responsible enough for the both of us."

Lily rolled her eyes, but linked her arm through Mary's. "Come on, Mac."

"Ladies first, Evans."

As they skipped through the corridors, giggling like two-year-olds, Mary said, "So, do you know any of Alice's cousins? I heard they're delicious." She grinned.

"Good luck fending off all your handsome suitors," Lily laughed. "You look gorgeous, Mary."

"Me?" Mary scoffed. "What about you?" She nudged Lily with her shoulder. "I heard a certain James Potter-"

"Don't even start," Lily said mock-threateningly. "I suppose I'll have my hands full with James." She shook her head in frustration, her dark red hair hiding her from Mary's view.

Mary sighed. "Lil, you're using the tone again."

"The tone?" Lily frowned.

"Yes, the oh-no-James-Gorgeous-Potter-is-after-me-again-may-I-hex-him tone," said a voice from around the corner, and all the girls squealed in unison.

_"Marlene!"_

Mary and Lily ran - well, Mary hobbled in her high-heels - to greet their friend. Marlene Dearborn looked as pitch-perfect as ever - and by that, Mary meant that she looked like she was ready for the Quidditch pitch. Her black hair was tied back in a businesslike bun, her trademark mischievous smile on her face. Marlene hugged Lily, swinging the redhead around happily, but stopped short before Mary.

"Goodness, Mac, how'm I supposed to say hello when you're dolled up already?" She gave an approving nod at Mary's white dress.

Mary laughed. "Marlene, rugby-tackling isn't everyone's opinion of saying hello."

Marlene shrugged. "Admit that you love my hugs, Mary. And you, Lil, I hope you know that this is Alice's wedding, not a Beatles concert."

"Very funny, Marlene. We were going to inspect the flowers first - but what's all this about my James Potter voice?"

Marlene sighed. "Speaking as an uninvolved, objective third-party observer, Lil, I honestly do not understand how you have it in you to keep saying no."

Lily opened her mouth to protest, but Mary shushed her. "She isn't done, Lil."

"But," continued Marlene, "speaking as your best friend, he is a bit of a twat."

"A _delicious_ twat," sighed Mary, mock-swooning.

"But a twat all the same," said Marlene. "You have our support, as always."

"Many thanks," laughed Lily. "Now, the flowers."

"Mrs Hart said Frank's mum was seeing to them too," remembered Mary. "Think we'll run into her?"

Marlene shuddered. "I hope not. Mrs Longbottom is terrifying."

"You've met her?" asked Lily.

"Of course I have."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Well, we can't all be purebloods with a thousand cousins, hmm?" Marlene elbowed her for that, but it didn't hurt. Much.  
Alice had picked roses for the wedding, and they were bewitched in different colours. Mary realised that they were arranged from darkest to lightest, with red at the doors to white at the altar. She beamed at no one in particular. "Can you believe that Alice is really getting married?"

"That's why we're here, Mary," said Marlene dryly, and Mary elbowed her back.

"It's amazing," Lily agreed. "Only last year, she and Frank were seventh-years..."

"Not a coincidence that they were Heads of school together," remarked Marlene. "I bet when we're seventh-years, the Head Girl and Boy will wind up married too."

Mary laughed. "You know, that might be Lily you're talking about."

"Maybe," Marlene said, straight-faced.

"Oh, shut up," said Lily, going pink.

"Yeah, Marlene, we all know James can't be Head Boy. Ten Galleons says she won't marry the Head B- oi, Lil, Mrs Hart will kill me if you ruin my dress!"

Giggling, Mary ducked out of Lily's reach and hurried to a pale pink rose that was fading to a sickly yellow. She sprinkled water on it, but it only got worse. "Oh, bloody hell - sorry," she added to the altar. "I turned it blue!"

Rolling her eyes, Marlene dabbed a green salve onto the flower, and it returned to normal. "They're roses, dear, not pansies."

Mary scowled. "Well, I'm rot at Herbology and Charms."

"_That's_ rot."

"It's perfectly true-"

"Children, stop bickering," Lily teased. "We're done here. Best be getting changed, yeah?"

With one last glare at Marlene, Mary nodded and, the three girls walked back down the corridor, the sounds of reunited friends reverberating through the halls.

"… _and end up dreaming,_

_Instead of sleeping"_

Taylor Swift, "22"

Gina Edgecombe was running late, and that tended to make her move like a cannonball. No one suspected that the petite, tousle-haired girl could shove like a troll, and she barrelled through the people in the corridor easily. Which door had Alice shown her again? Oh, now she was lost, and they would all kill her. Picking a door at random, Gina burst into a room. Promptly, Marlene Dearborn fell off her chair, Mary Macdonald screamed, and Lily Evans drew a line of mascara down her face. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Gina cried, pulling her wand out. At least, she thought, she could trust her magic. In a flash, Marlene was levitated back onto her chair and Lily's cheek was clean. "Hello, Aunt Gilly, I'm very, very sorry-"

Gillian Hart shook her head. "Genevieve Evangeline Edgecombe. Do you know how stressful it is to plan a wedding?"

"No, Aunt Gilly. I've never really had the opportunity." Gina's feeble attempt at a joke did not amuse her aunt.

"Young woman, we've been looking for you since ten o' clock - which, incidentally, is when the bridesmaids were supposed to arrive!"

"I'm terribly-" began Gina, but Lily steered her into a chair.

"Sorry, Gee, we know," the redhead said, smiling. "At least you had the sense to change already. Your makeup should be easy."

Gina scowled. "Not too much, Lil, I'd prefer not to look like a tart."

"But makeup is the jam on top of the tart, Gee; it suits you so wonderfully!" chimed in Mary.

"Mac, don't make me hex you." All the girls laughed, and Lily brushed foundation over Gina's cheeks.

"Gee, get that frown off your face. Alice will never forgive you if you look like a hungry baboon in the wedding pictures."

Gina shot a mock-glare at the offender. "Silence, Marlene. Hell hath no fury like my frown scorned."

"For goodness's sake, keep still," Lily put in. "Unless you want to look like a tart _baboon_."

"Is that even a real thing?" wondered Mary.

Mrs Hart sighed. "I'll leave Gina to you, girls. I'd best see how Rebecca and Alice are doing... And whether Augusta needs help with the seating..." She hurried out of the room.

"Dear Lord, after today, I'll be related to Augusta Longbottom," Gina sighed.

"Lily and Mary, you should thank your lucky stars that you haven't met her yet," added Marlene. "Worse than McGonagall, she is."

Gina could hear the grimace in Mary's voice as she said, "No wonder Frank's always been so..."

"Oppressed?" suggested Marlene.

"I was going to say timid."

"Same difference, really..."

"Gee, open your mouth," commanded Lily, uncapping lipstick.

"Lily, please, don't! You know perfectly well that I have a phobia of lipstick-"

"One you'll have to grow out of. You won't be able to wear lip salve to your own wedding." Gina closed her eyes tightly until the job was done.

"There," said Lily, pleased. "All done."

"Gracious, Lil, you make even Gee look good!" said Marlene, peering at Gina in the mirror. Mary stuck her head in as well.

"Say 'cheese'!" she exclaimed, and Lily grinned. The other two witches, however, looked as perplexed as ever.

"'Cheese'?" repeated Marlene. "Is that a war cry?"

Mary collapsed into giggles. "That's right, Marlene. It's what the Muggles say in battle." She and Lily laughed madly, and Gina shook her head, mystified.

"Honestly, I'll never be able to understand Muggles." This only made them laugh more.

"Come on, we should find Alice before we miss the ceremony," Gina said, a little grumpy at being excluded from the joke.

"No thanks to you, Genevieve," muttered Marlene, but they each picked up a little bouquet of roses. Gina's were deep red, Marlene's were a magical violet, Mary's were pale pink, and Lily's were tinged orange. The four girls strolled through the corridors to the bride's room, where Mrs Hart and Alice's best friend, Rebecca Clearwater, were pinning on Alice's veil.

"Oh, Liss!" cried Gina, almost dropping her bouquet. Her cousin's round, cheery face was framed perfectly by brown curls and her shimmering veil. Alice's dress was simple, but showed off her slim figure. She glowed like the sun, Gina thought, making her look three times more beautiful than she already was.

"Gee," said Alice, smiling a little. "Fashionably late as ever, I see."  
Gina waved a hand. "That's nothing. I'll bet that the Marauders will come much later."

"Not Remus," argued Lily.

"No, she's right," agreed Mary. "He's too good for that."

"Oh, darling, you look divine!" said Mrs Hart, stepping back to survey her daughter. "The Marauders, did you say?"

The girls exchanged smiles, all of them Hogwarts students - or, in the case of Rebecca and Alice, ex-students. "A group of boys," Alice clarified.

"They're friends of Frank's."

"Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black," said Gina, counting them off on her fingers. With a sidelong glance at Lily, she finished, "And James Potter."

"James Potter? Isn't he Felicity and Nathan's son?"

"That's right," nodded Marlene. "They're the most popular boys in our house."

"Year," corrected Gina.

"School," trilled Mary.

"Goodness," said Mrs Hart mildly. "Rebecca, would you straighten Alice's train?" As Rebecca fixed Alice's dress, Mrs Hart smiled, tears glistening in her blue eyes. "Alice, dear-"

"Mum, please," said Alice, smiling with tears in her own eyes. "Let's save the crying for the actual wedding, shall we?"

"You are beautiful, Alice Diana Hart - Alice Diana Longbottom," she corrected herself. "I love you, dear."

"Oh, Mum." Alice hugged her mother as best as she could without crushing her skirts. "I love you too."

Gina could feel tears welling up, and a knot in her throat she couldn't seem to swallow past. She'd known Alice since she was three, and she remembered how they used to call each other '_Alith'_ and _'Gee-Gee'_. She bit her lip at the memory of her light lisp and how her cousins had poked fun at her. Alice was right: tears were best saved for the actual ceremony.

"_I am in awe of who you are_

_And it's your love I'm living for"_

Flyleaf, "Great Love"

Frank Longbottom was terrified.

As he took deep, calming breaths, he told himself that he had no reason to be so afraid. And yet, watching Alice - his Alice - walking closer and closer to him on her father's arm, the pounding of his heart told a different story. He plastered a smile on his face, holding it in place even while he glanced at his mother. Mrs Hart was sitting next to Mrs Longbottom, the former in tears and the latter as stoic as ever. The sight of her was a little reassuring, but far more frightening. So Frank fixed his gaze on the bridesmaids instead. They were all Alice's friends, most of them younger than her. Other than Rebecca, Alice had never really got on with their year. Lily Evans, Mary Macdonald, Marlene Dearborn, Alice's cousin Gina - also a Hogwarts student - and her neighbour, Ariadne Higgs, accompanied the maid of honour, all of them in white. Frank resisted the urge to straighten his tie at the sight of how perfectly turned out they were. Merlin, this was a thousand times worse than anything people had told him. He was waiting for it to happen, but he was wishing it wouldn't.

His best man, handpicked by Mrs Longbottom, was his cousin, George, an encouraging grin on his face. But looking at him only reminded Frank of what was to come. He glanced back at the crowd, searching for faces from Hogwarts. Maybe he could pretend he was talking to a group of Gryffindors, blot out everyone else... He found Sirius Black there, wearing his usual smirk. Sirius promptly winked at Frank. Inexplicably - or, perhaps, not really - a raucous drinking song played in his mind. Shaking the tune out of his head, Frank stared at Sirius's companion. It wasn't anyone he recognised; a girl, younger than him, her black hair and startling grey eyes unmistakably Black-esque. Frank idly wondered where the rest of the Marauders were. His casual reverie was interrupted by the realisation that Alice had reached the altar.

They held hands, facing each other. The veil was charmed, he noticed, so that he couldn't see her face clearly. No doubt that had been Rebecca's work - she was a whiz at Charms... Frank tried to concentrate on the wizard who was speaking.

"Frank, you aren't breathing," whispered Alice, and Frank started.

"Oh, sorry."

He couldn't see it, but he was positive she was smiling behind her veil. "I hope you aren't getting cold feet now," she teased.

"Me? Cold feet? Liss, I'm marrying you!"

"Good."

Frank suddenly realised that this was his cue. "Yes," he gulped, saying his vows. Alice spoke her own, her musical voice bringing a warm courage to him. Gently, he lifted her veil. What he saw took his breath away. He couldn't speak - how was it that he, simple old Frank Longbottom, had found a girl like lovely Alice Hart? He suddenly knew that whatever the reason, he needed to hold on and never let go. He tilted her chin up, and kissed her.

_"It feels like one of those nights_

_You look like bad news"_

Taylor Swift, "22"

Lily blinked her tears away for the thousandth time as Frank and Alice swirled around the dance floor. Pink confetti rained down on her head from floating gold stars. Absentmindedly, she brushed the growing pile from her shoulder. The couple looked so happy, it made her want to cry. She laughed a little to herself. If she ever had anything like this, she vowed, she would treasure it forever.

"You missed some," said a voice, and Lily turned around. Sirius Black grinned at her, flicking a bit of confetti off her shoulder. "Hello, Evans."  
Lily rolled her eyes. "So, where's your partner-in-crime? If you're here to woo me on his part, tell him it won't work."

Sirius only smiled more in that infuriating way of his. He leaned against a pillar. "You know, Evans, you never seem to affected by my charms."

"Because I'm not," she pointed out. True, he was very handsome - delicious, Mary would say - but she had always thought there was a barrier of hurt around him that he wore like armour. Or maybe that was her novels speaking.

"Ah, it surely implies that your heart is elsewhere." He raised his eyebrows suggestively. It was obvious where 'elsewhere' was.

"Get lost," Lily told him half-heartedly.

"All right, just pulling your leg. I actually wanted to ask you something. Have you seen my cousin?"

"Cousin? Who?"

"I don't think you've met her. About ye high-" he held his hand level with his chin, "-packed with Black traitor goodness. Charm, looks, disarming smiles-"

"Basically, a shorter, female version of you?" Lily said dryly.

"Exactly," Sirius beamed. "Only, less charming. Don't blame her for that, though. Anyway, if you see her, tell her I'm looking for her. Her name's Tess. Tess Johnson."

Lily nodded, and watched Sirius disappear into the crowd. She snagged a flute of champagne from a passing waiter, and stared into it.

"Oi, Lil, you trying to use your drink as a crystal ball of something?" Marlene strode up to her, crossing her arms. "Why aren't you having fun?"

"I am!" Lily protested.

"Really?" Marlene raised her eyebrows. "I've been watching you for the past fifteen minutes, and the only person you've talked to is Sirius Black. What was that about?"

"Looking for his cousin," said Lily.

"Drink the champagne, Evans."

"Oh, all right." She sipped at it, the bubbly taste tickling her stomach pleasantly. "Why's there champagne, anyway?"

"Mrs Hart was worried that Firewhiskey would be a little too much. Besides, there are so many innocent, underage students here." Marlene rolled her eyes. "Like that'll stop them. They'll get drunk on champagne if they have to..."

Lily glanced back at the dance floor, now packed with laughing dancers. Unfortunately, her friend didn't miss it.

"Why don't you dance? Go on, Lil. They'll have that really interesting one soon enough - the kind where you switch partners, what's it called?" Lily did not know. "Well, you have to go anyway. Find a summer fling."

"Summer's almost over, Marlene," sighed Lily.

"Yes, and after this, we go back to extravagant schemes to get you, courtesy of James and the Marauders."

That made Lily straighten. "Maybe you're right."

Marlene beamed. "Of course I am. Now, get over there."

Obediently, Lily headed to the dance floor. She was already at the edge when she realised that she had no partner. So she stood there awkwardly, looking around for someone she knew. Frank Longbottom came up to her just then, his cheery, good-natured face happier than ever.

"Oh, hullo, Lily," he said. "Care for a dance?"

Lily grinned at her saviour. "Why, thank you. I didn't know how long I'd have to stand here."

Frank smiled back as he took her hand and led her to the middle of the floor. The dancers had split into three concentric rings for the passing-partners dance, and Lily and Frank joined the second one.

"Congratulations," said Lily as the hand began to play. "Sorry I didn't say it before."

"It's nothing," he beamed. "I'm glad I screwed up the courage to ask Alice, really."

Lily laughed. "Believe me, if you hadn't, she would've asked you."

"I don't doubt it." After some more casual banter and a full circle, Frank passed Lily on to the next dancer, a vaguely familiar-looking redhead. Until he told her his name, Lily didn't even realise who he was.

"Arthur!" she exclaimed, and he smiled. Arthur Weasley had left Hogwarts a few years before, and though Lily had never been particularly close to him, she'd run into him and his wife, Molly, in the Gryffindor Common Room more than once. "I almost didn't recognise you!"

"Me neither," admitted Arthur. "It's been a long time since we met."

"How are you - and Molly?"

He beamed at the mention of his wife. "Wonderful. We just had a second son."

"I heard," Lily nodded. Noticing that they had almost finished another circle, she said, "Hope to see both of you again!"

He said something along the same lines, and she moved to the next man. Lily was quite sure she didn't know him at all, and their dance was awkward and silent. Her next partner was considerably younger, but no friendlier. And so, it went on. The following three dances passed without much event, though Lily noted the deliciousness of two of them. The last one spun her right into the arms of her new partner.

"Merlin!" she muttered, trying to steady herself and continue the dance at the same time.

"Hello, Lily," said Remus Lupin.

"Hi, Remus," said Lily, as if it was completely normal for her to fall into his arms at random weddings. She shook her head at the thought. "Nice to see you again."

"You, too," he nodded. "Did you happen to come across Sirius's cousin? Her name's Tess Johnson."

"Everyone's looking for her, are they? Sirius told me. Where do you reckon she'd be?"

Remus smiled faintly. "Knowing her, she's probably nicking liquor from the bar."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Dear me, are all Blacks like that?"

"I don't think so," laughed Remus. "Tess has had the privilege of special lessons from Sirius."

"I see," said Lily, bemused. "His protégée, so to speak."

"Yes, that's right. How have your holidays been so far?"

"Same as usual. I'm itching to use magic for every little thing. Counting down the days till September first, yeah?" Remus laughed. "You look a little pale," Lily observed.

"James and Sirius threw a bachelor party for Frank last night."

"Ah." That was the only explanation required. "See you on the first day, then!" she called as they switched partners, and he gave her a little wave.

"Evans. Looking fit as ever."

Merlin. Just her luck.

"Potter," she said evenly.

"Had a good summer?"

The question surprised her so much that she looked up at him. James Potter was the same as ever, with his untidy hair, hazel eyes, glasses, and lopsided grin. He and Sirius were quite a pair, Lily thought. After a moment, she realised that she hadn't answered his question. "Oh. Yeah, I suppose so."

"Suppose?"

She didn't answer.

"You know," he said casually, "this is when you're supposed to ask me about my holidays." He twirled her expertly, and she grimaced inwardly. Of course, being James Potter, he had to be a fantastic dancer.

"Maybe I won't," she retorted.

"So, we've stopped playing by the rules, then?"

She glared at him. "Could you possibly go two seconds without trying to flirt?"

He blinked at her. "One. Two. Right, that's done."

She rolled her eyes. "Polished off all the drinks yet?"

"No," he said mildly. "And even if I had, you wouldn't notice it. I can hold my liquor better than a Black at a drinking competition, and that's saying something." Almost unconsciously, they both turned to where Sirius sat, leaning back in his chair and tossing back another glass of champagne. He added it to the growing collection on his table. James chuckled. Lily was amazed, really, that he hadn't been sick yet.

Lily looked back at James, and he raised an eyebrow at her. They seemed to be moving far too slowly; the other rounds had passed so fast. A memory nudged her mind, and she knew that they were both thinking about the day of their Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL, and what had happened by the lake. If it had been anyone else, thought Lily, she'd have shaken hands and asked to start over. But this was James Bloody Potter. She remained silent.

"Evans, if you don't say something, I may have to kiss you," James said, twirling her again. She almost broke away then, but his hand was still firmly on her waist.

"You're a git," she muttered. He beamed.

"Ah, an insult-slinging competition. Much as I would love to participate, I have a runaway Black to search for."

Lily wanted to say, _so you stayed to dance with me first? _She reckoned she didn't want to know the answer. "Tess, isn't it? I hope she doesn't do anything..."

"Sirius-like," offered James. "Yes, that might not prove very good - ah, she's over there, by the drinks counter."

"That's good," said Lily, for lack of anything better to say. She imagined Mary on the Hogwarts Express, telling anyone who'd listen about how Lily Evans had danced with James Potter at the Longbottoms' wedding. It was a mortifying thought. Luckily for her, the music slowed to a stop, and he released her.

"It was a pleasure," he said, winking.

"You're a git, Potter," she repeated, and he grinned, heading towards the drinks counter and the mysterious Tess Johnson.

Lily watched him tap her on the shoulder and say something to her, her thoughts far away. The sight of Alice interrupted her, though, and Lily rushed to talk to her friend. "Liss! Congratulations, again."

Alice laughed, spinning Lily around in ecstasy. "Lily, tell the world that Alice Diana Hart Longbottom is now most definitely spoken for."

Lily grinned. "You're awfully giddy. Have you been playing a drinking game or something?"

"'Course not. It's bridal happiness."

"I think it's the bridal glow, Liss."

Alice rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. Oh, we should go sit down. I think they're laying the table for lunch." Taking Lily by the hand, Alice took her place between Mrs Hart and Frank.

"I'll go find a seat," Lily said.

"All right, but be sure to sit at this table! You're a bridesmaid, for Merlin's sake."

Smiling, Lily found her friends some way along the table. She flopped into a seat next to Gina, who gave her a grin. "How's it been, Lil?"

"A whirlwind," said Lily. "I never thought a magic wedding would be so... normal."

"What's a Muggle wedding like, then?"

"The same, really, except that the food doesn't serve itself," said Lily as a pie hobbled over to her and a knife cut her a slice. "This must take a lot of magic."

Gina became animated, like she always was when talking about magic. Lily thought that of all the people from magical families she knew, Gina was the only one who marvelled at magic the same way as Muggleborns. "It's quite simple, really, and I've heard it's easier with practice-"

"If you're talking about something boring," said Marlene, "stop now, because I'm here." She slid into the chair next to Lily. "I made it my job to convince people to dance. Not everyone is as cooperative as you, Lil. That's the most work I've ever done at a wedding."

"Exhausting," proclaimed Mary, practically falling into the seat next to Gina. "I didn't know dancing was that much work!" Lily and Gina laughed, and Marlene rolled her eyes.

"How many of them tried to kiss you?" she asked.

"Seven," answered Mary.

"I was joking," said Marlene, taken aback.

"The most magical number," said Gina. "Ooh, maybe you'll marry the last one."

"I didn't actually kiss any of them, Gee - oi, I'm allergic to prawns!" Mary batted away a stubborn dish.

Lily felt a mad elation, like her first day back to Hogwarts. It felt like home, she realised.

There was the sound of a spoon clinking against a glass, and the party fell silent. Alice stood up, raising her glass. "I'd like to propose a toast!" she called, her voice magically enhanced so everyone could hear her. "To my wonderful, wonderful husband Frank, and to everyone who encouraged this. I'd never be this happy if it weren't for you." She beamed as they all applauded, some even whistling.

Frank stood next, looking uncharacteristically sombre. "My toast is split two ways. Firstly, to my lovely new wife, Alice-" more applause "-whom I love more than anything. And secondly, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for introducing me to not only Liss, but all my fantastic friends."

"Hear, hear!" Sirius called, and Lily joined in the cheer, sipping her drink. The Firewhiskey tasted exactly like its name, scorching her tongue. She leaned back in her chair blissfully, feeling the food melt in her mouth. It was - almost - as good as the food at Hogwarts, she thought, and with her best friends around her, she could imagine that it was the first of September, and they were digging into the Welcome Feast...

"Look - that's Alastor Moody," said Marlene suddenly.

"Moody... He sounds familiar," said Mary.

"'Course he does, Mac," put in Gina. "One of the best Aurors around."

Lily found the man Gina was pointing at, and wasn't surprised at what she saw. Alastor Moody matched her mental image of the Dark wizard catchers perfectly. He was an unforgettable man, with his scarred face, lanky fair hair and deep scowl, and yet, he seemed to blend in with all the other wedding guests. Lily tried to imagine Frank and Alice becoming like that, and failed.

"They say he's a shoo-in for the next Head Auror," Gina was saying.

"He certainly looks battle-worn," remarked Mary. "I suppose he knows Frank and Alice from their training?"

Lily nodded absentmindedly, looking further down the table. She spotted some other ex-Hogwarts students, and waved and smiled at those who caught her eye. She noticed that Sirius seemed to still be sans his cousin, but he didn't look too concerned about it. Moody was saying something to Frank in a gruff voice, and Frank was nodding, his eyes shining in admiration.

"Remember, son, constant vigilance. You've got a family to look after too, and times are getting darker."

Frank went red. "Alice can take care of herself, too."

"I don't doubt it," said Moody, sounding amused. "Just keep my words in mind. Constant vigilance!"

Frank nodded vigorously. "Right, constant vigilance."

Apparently satisfied, Moody looked away, and suddenly jumped to his feet and drew his wand. A collective gasp issued from the guests, and Alice half-rose to say something, but her words were drowned out in the chaos that followed. Not a half-second later, wisps of black smoke darted into the hall, solidifying into black-robed, masked figures. Lily felt her heart lurch. Death Eaters. She'd only seen pictures of them in the Prophet, and they were far more terrifying in real life.

Luckily for the guests, though, a number of Aurors and trainees had already brought out their own wands, and the Death Eaters were hopelessly outnumbered. The moment she realised this, Lily could breathe again - but then she wondered why they had crashed Frank and Alice's wedding. They were both purebloods, and their families went back a long way. Moody seemed to have come to the same conclusion as Lily, for he opened his mouth to shout a curse, when someone yelled, "Don't!" Lily recognised the voice instantly, a voice that was the loudest of all in the Common Room after Gryffindor won a Quidditch match. It was Sirius Black.

"_There I was, awaiting death for you"_

Flyleaf, "Great Love"

James had never expected a normal summer wedding - Frank Longbottom's, no less - to get so intense. As soon as he saw the telltale tendrils of smoke, he reached for his wand. Years of hexing Snivellus Snape and the Slytherins had refined this action, but James froze when he heard Sirius make a strangled noise like a dying animal. He gazed at his friend, and seeing the horror in them, turned back to the Death Eaters.  
Of all the things he'd ever seen in sixteen years, James reckoned the sight of Tess Johnson in a Death Eater's grasp chilled him the most.

Nearby, Moody raised his wand to attack, and Sirius called out for him to stop. All eyes fell on James and Sirius. "She's my cousin," said Sirius, his cool composure restored. Then, addressing the Death Eaters, he said, "Let her go."

One figure - a man, perhaps their leader? - stepped forward, laughing. "'Let her go'? Is this the famous Black eloquence?"

Maybe James had imagined it, but he could've sworn that the Death Eater holding Tess had flinched at the man's words.

"This - witch," the man spat, "is an abomination. A disgusting result of a pureblood marrying a Muggle. There are many others, but this one carries tainted blood - blood of the noble and most ancient house of Black." He looked around to survey the effect of his words.

"The Dark Lord will purify magic blood!" he called, his voice echoing through the hall. "There will be no more filthy half-bloods!"

Tess managed to turn around in her captor's arms, and spat in the Death Eater's mask. Sirius gasped, but his _stupefy_ was timed exactly right, knocking out the Death Eater as his cousin crawled away, blocking a hex that came at her. That was the only cue James needed; in a flash, he'd taken out two more. Underage magic, be damned, he thought, dodging a dangerously close Killing Curse. The Aurors worked in perfect harmony, dispatching the Death Eaters with grim efficiency. James realised that the Death Eaters had come in such a small group because they'd thought they had an easy job. He smirked; for all their talk about the noble and most ancient house of Black, they didn't know the first thing about them. Pride.

Sirius yanked him out of range of a curse, simultaneously stupefying another Death Eater. Swearing lightly, he stretched out an arm to pull her to safety. Still on the ground, Tess aimed a hex over her shoulder, and grasped his hand. The noise all around was deafening, but the jet of green light was clearly visible, slamming right into Tess's back.

Sirius's eyes widened as his cousin's hand went slack in his; he pulled her towards the table and flipped her onto her back. There was a fierce look in her eyes, hope and relief in her smile. James knew how to check for a pulse, but he didn't bother. The Avada Kedavra left no room for doubt. "Padfoot-" he began, but Sirius darted forward.

He didn't get very far, though, before Remus appeared and collided into him, pinning him to the floor. James ran forward to help him, glancing one last time at Tess's lifeless grey eyes. The Aurors were shouting; the Death Eaters had Disapparated; the wedding was a mess; but all James noticed was his best mate, shouting at everyone to let him go so he could chase darkness and smoke.

Two Weeks Later

"_It's something unpredictable,_

_But in the end, it's right"_

Green Day, "Time of Your Life"

The morning of September the first dawned clear and blue, and all around England, young witches and wizards were finishing all their last-minute jobs, hurrying to the station. The sixth-years were the most relaxed, since they were done with their OWLs, but hadn't quite come to their NEWTs.

Lily Evans was saying goodbye to her parents at King's Cross, kissing her father and hugging her mother. She couldn't help but think of her very first year at Hogwarts, when Petunia had come with them; she hadn't done so since. Her tiny owl, Lennon, was hooting madly at a leaving train, the signs for platforms 9 and 10 swinging at her happily. All was absolutely right - she would not think of Petunia - and she was going back to Hogwarts!

"Will we see you at Christmas, Lily, darling?" her mother was asking.

"Oh, I thought I'd stay, Mum - you know, it's almost my very last Christmas at Hogwarts," replied Lily.

Mr. Evans laughed. "Just as I expected. You must be the only girl your age who enjoys going to school!"

Lily grinned. "See you, then!" They waved, her father giving her a little push. She jogged to the redbrick barrier, opening her eyes to the sight of the familiar red and black Hogwarts Express. She waved to the engine cheerfully, and glanced about her sheepishly to see if anyone had noticed. If they had, they didn't react, because they all understood it. Smiling, Lily went to put her trunk inside, and find a good compartment before the first-years flooded the train. Once she'd settled everything, and Lennon had finally stopped hooting, she went to find their usual compartment. Unsurprisingly, Gina was already inside, her nose practically pressed to the window.

"Hello, Lil," she said, turning to face Lily.

"Hi, Gee. How were the past two weeks?"

Gina grimaced. "Awful. Aunt Gilly could hardly believe Alice's wedding had been crashed - and a guest killed, too."

Lily frowned. "I'd heard about that. Sirius's cousin, yeah?"

"Distant cousins of his and Alice's," nodded Gina. "Alice is all right - upset, of course, but not hysterical and such. I'd be more worried about Black."

"Really?"

"They were very close."

They fell into silence, watching the tumultuous scene outside. As if on cue, James Potter and Sirius Black strolled past their window, the former frowning and the latter sullen. Even without their teasing grins, the two Gryffindors sent a gaggle of fourth-years into mad giggles. Lily would've rolled her eyes if not for Sirius's sombre expression; maybe Gina was right. Five minutes later, she spotted a crowd of Slytherins: Frederic Mulciber, Lila Romanov, Marcus Avery, Dorothy Greengrass and Gregory Nott. She searched the chattering figures, and it took her several minutes to realise that she was looking for Severus. Tearing her gaze from the window, Lily stared fiercely at the sliding door. He had made his opinion of her clear last year.

The sound of voices came from the corridor, a girl and a boy, bickering.

"Honestly, Tad," said the girl, "you're an absolute idiot!"

"That's always your last insult, 'idiot'. It's what you say when you run out of an argument."

"Oh, shut up," the girl replied irritably. The figures stopped at Lily and Gina's compartment door, and the door slid open to reveal Marlene. "Now, go find your friends before people realise you're my brother," she said over her shoulder, and Thaddeus Dearborn walked away, muttering something under his breath. Marlene slid the door shut again, and hopped into the seat next to Gina. "'Lo, Lil, Gee. Enjoying yourselves, were you?"

"We were talking about Alice's wedding," said Gina bluntly, and Marlene became somewhat subdued.

"Oh," she said. "I knew Tess - the girl who died."

"How?" asked Lily, though she knew that Marlene somehow knew everyone.

"Met her at some function of my dad's," she said nonchalantly. "Never mind that - where's our walking, talking gossip column?"

Gee chuckled. "We haven't seen Mary anywhere, if that's what you mean."

"Did you check the bathroom?" inquired Marlene dryly. The compartment door practically flew open, and Mary Macdonald slipped in, her pixie features twisted into a scowl.

"Do you know what Bertha Jorkins has been saying about me?" she demanded, setting Luna, her cat, down on the seat next to her. Luna meowed softly, and curled up in Lily's lap, where she promptly fell asleep. "She claims that my hair isn't natural - that I used some Muggle colour to get it this way!"

Lily eyed Mary's perfectly straight, shoulder-length, platinum blonde hair. She'd forever been jealous of the way her friend's hair behaved so well, unlike her own unruly red curls. "Preposterous," she agreed, grinning.

"It could've been worse," pointed out Gina. "She could've told people about you and Xavier Meadowes."

Mary dropped her bag, agape. "She knows about me and Xavier Meadowes?"

"Xavier Meadowes and I," corrected Marlene, opening her Jane Austen novel.

"Yes, yes. How did she find out, Gee?"

"She didn't," Gina sighed. "That's why I said 'could've'."

"Goodness, scare me to death, why don't you?" muttered Mary. "If anyone asks about my hair, tell them it's perfectly natural. In fact, hex them, and then say it's natural." She rose again, sliding the compartment door open.

"Where are you going?" protested Gina.

"Here and there. We're really early, you know. The train doesn't leave for another-" she checked her wristwatch "-twenty minutes. I'm sure that's enough time for me to dig up the dirt on Bertha bleeding Jorkins..." The door shut with a slam after her.

"I have to agree with Mac here," said Marlene, not looking up from her book. "Bertha Jorkins is a blot on the map of Hogwarts. She pestered me about Ed for weeks, and when I refused to say anything, she told all her ridiculous friends that we were shagging. Of all the things." Marlene shook her head.

The compartment door opened again, but it wasn't Mary this time. The Ravenclaw Prefect, Rhiannon Fortescue, peered in, her expression apologetic.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Lily, we need you in the Prefects' compartment."

"Already?" asked Lily in dismay. She had been hoping for some time with her friends. She lifted Luna off her lap and stood. "I'm not even changed."

"I know, I know - but the Heads-" Rhiannon made a face "-insist that we decide the patrols before the trains start."

"Honestly," Lily muttered. "Well, I'll get my robes. Meet you there?"

The Ravenclaw nodded. "Oh, could you bring Lupin with you too?"

"Yeah, we'll both be there," promised Lily. She collected her things and stepped out of the compartment. The corridor was packed with younger students, and after an age and no progress, Lily was wishing she could blast a path to the bathrooms.

"Oi, first-years!" called a lazy voice. "Step aside for the lady, would you?"  
The crowd parted instantly, leaving a clear route for Lily - one that ended in James Potter. She stomped towards him. "You didn't have to do that. I was handling it."

He shook his head. "Evans, you weren't moving."

She raised her chin stubbornly, and said nothing. "Would _you_ move?" He swivelled around, seeming to only just realise that the bathrooms were behind him. Lily expected to hear at least a joke or two about that, but he waved her on silently. "Oh, would you tell Remus that he has to come to the Prefects' compartment?"

"Will do, Evans!" came the reply, and James disappeared in the horde. The knob on the bathroom door read 'occupied' in curly red script, and Lily waited impatiently for ten minutes. As the whistle sounded, she knocked on the door in annoyance.

"Would you hurry up in there?" she said angrily. Only a few minutes later, when Gemma Halley emerged - hair mussed, makeup smudged, skirt askew - and the door clicked to 'occupied' again did it dawn on Lily. "All right, I know you're there. No point in hiding now." She was about to threaten the occupant with point deductions when the door opened again. Jeremy Harris emerged, his grin sheepish and apologetic.

"Sorry, Lily," he said, straightening his tie. Lily waved him on, and stepped into the bathroom.

It smelled like Gemma's perfume.

Shuddering, Lily changed in record time, and she was pinning her shiny Prefect badge on in a matter of minutes. She retied her hair, straightened her skirt, and picked up her wand. Stuffing her clothes into a bag, she hurried out in the direction of the Prefects' Compartment.

"_I got my rock moves_

_And I don't need you"_

P!nk, "So What"

Mary Macdonald was an excellent sleuth, mostly because three years of being the reigning monarch of the Hogwarts rumour mill had honed her skills. She knew all the right people to talk to, which was how she found herself sharing a compartment and a Pumpkin Pasty with Isabel Chantais ten minutes later. The Hogwarts Express had just pulled out of King's Cross, and Mary knew that they would pass the most excellent scenery in a short while. Her fingers itched for a paintbrush at the thought, but she focused her gaze on her fellow Gryffindor.

"Honestly, Mac," Isabel was saying, "there's so much to say about Bertha Jorkins that you can't even find a skeleton that's undiscovered."  
Mary made a face. "The worst is already out, you mean?"

"Exactly," Isabel nodded. "She spread rumours about your hair, didn't she?"

"Yeah - the tart," muttered Mary poisonously. Isabel was used to her vanity, though, and just smiled in sympathy.

"She's probably just jealous because of you and Xavier Meadowes. Everyone knows she's fancied him for ages."

Mary was about to nod in agreement, but then the full meaning of Isabel's words sunk in. "Half a mo - how do you know about Xavier and I? Does Bertha know?"

Isabel chuckled. "Dear, it's such a big secret that almost everyone knows it. But don't worry - no one's got the nerve to confront you about it. At least he isn't spoken for. I suspect Gemma Halley told her... she knows everything that goes on at Hogwarts." She shuddered at the thought.

"Very well," sighed Mary. "Thanks for talking to me anyway, Isabel."

"Anytime, Mac," the other smiled. "Listen, did you hear about the transfer?"  
Mary had been about to slide the compartment door open and leave, but she paused. Careful not to reveal her ignorance, she said, "A mention or two."

"Apparently, there's an American witch moving here - to our year."

"Moving here? Has that ever happened before?"

Isabel shrugged. "But I've heard it's happening now."

Mary nodded. "See you at the Feast?" Isabel gave her a little wave, and Mary walked quickly down the corridor, holding the rumour like a fragile baby bird in her hands.

"_It's not a question but a lesson learned in time"_

Green Day, "Time Of Your Life"

James found a Snitch in the pockets of his robes, recognising it instantly when he peered at it. It was the one he'd nicked from school the previous year, and he remembered playing with it after their Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL - Merlin, that had been a bad situation. Lily's - numerous - rejections had taken the pleasure out of even levitating Snivellus around. He tossed it under his seat, stretching out and turning to Sirius. "Any ideas to ease the boredom?"

"I want to..." Sirius paused for a moment. "Blow up the Prefects' compartment."

"Moony's in there," James reminded him.

"And Rhiannon Fortescue," added Peter with a smirk. Sirius sighed.

"Right, Rhiannon. Oh, and Moony. I suppose you wouldn't be too pleased if Evans was a victim too, Prongs?"

"No, shockingly." James rolled his eyes. "Listen, Padfoot-"

"Don't start on me." Sirius reached under the seat and picked up the Snitch, watching it unfold its wings and flap them feebly. "For the thousandth time, I'm a bloke, and we don't talk about our feelings." He said the last word with scorn, as if he didn't need to feel anything.

James sighed. "All right. But when you feel - sorry, want to talk, we're in the same dorm as you." There was a short silence.

"You know, aside from blowing up the Prefects' compartment," began Sirius. "I've always thought we should crash one of Slughorn's parties."

"Crash his parties?" repeated Peter sceptically.

"You heard me, Wormtail. But maybe crash isn't the right word - hijack, perhaps? We could take over the entire thing, maybe even transfer all our explosive wishes-"

"Your explosive wishes," James corrected mildly.

"Think how entertaining it would be, Prongs. All those swotty know-it-alls finally having the time of their lives... Moony excepted, of course."

"And it will be completely obvious that the entire thing was us," Peter pointed out.

"That's why we'll have Moony and Prongs at the party. You and I, Wormtail, will be doing detention. And so, it will seem very unlikely that it had anything to do with any of us - after all, they'd be victims-"

"Hang on, Moony and PRONGS?" repeated James.

"And I'm sure we could lure Peeves to the vicinity... quite simple, if you think about it..."

"I am not," James said loudly, "becoming a member of the Slug Club."

"You're a double agent, Prongs. You know where your loyalties lie." Sirius sat back, apparently satisfied with his plan.

"And how are you going to get out of detention without landing in more of it?"

"That remains to be seen."

"Blowing up Slughorn's party - Merlin, Padfoot, they'd kill you if they found out!"

"Why don't we just set off the best firecrackers we've got?" Peter suggested, and the arguing boys froze.

"Wormtail," Sirius said slowly, "was that an idea?" Peter nodded, confused. "Did you hear that, Prongs? Wormtail can think..."

"Oh, very funny," Peter muttered. "You have to admit, it's a good idea." He looked at James, and James realised that both his friends were looking to him for approval.

"It might work," he said after some thought. "But it isn't going to be a half-planned suicide mission."

Peter grinned, and Sirius looked vaguely pleased. James noticed that he hadn't smiled properly since The Wedding Incident. It was completely unsettling. Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he said, "So, Padfoot, what do you think of the Quidditch team?"

"I reckon Isabel will try out again, and get on the first-string team."

"Five Galleons says she doesn't," chimed in Peter.

"You're on," Sirius said. "Also, Gina Edgecombe will try out for Keeper-"  
"Yeah, and that's fantastic, but I can't pick all of them. We need younger players too, or the team'll be rubbish when we leave."

Sirius shrugged. "It'll happen, Prongs. Sit back and wait."

"_Time grabs you by the wrist_

_Directs you where to go"_

Green Day, "Time Of Your Life"

Lily had never seen the Prefects' compartment in such chaos. The older students tried to shut the younger ones up, but it was no use. The Head Girl and Boy had just departed, and they'd all realised that it was the dawn of a bleak new era. Beside her, Remus Lupin squinted at the patrols chart he'd been assigned.

"Blimey, midnight patrols twice a month! Have you looked at this, Lily?"

"No," she replied. "Because it's rubbish."

"We aren't bloody machines!" said Rhiannon Fortescue, in a rare display of anger. Everyone in the room had abandoned decorum, and even Severus looked annoyed. Every now and then, Lily's gaze wandered over to him, where he sat next to Lila Romanov. He seemed to be studiously looking away from her - as if she had done something wrong, she thought angrily.  
"Right!" someone bellowed, and immediately, the arguing and fighting stopped. The other Ravenclaw Prefect, Hyperion Smith, stood at the centre of the room. "Carragher and Daley might think they have the run of the school, but I, for one, am going to speak to McGonagall as soon as we arrive." Murmurs of assent filled the large compartment. "Just... listen to them now, and we can discuss it with the teachers at Hogwarts, yeah?"

"Are we done, then?" said Severus in a lazy voice, and Lily snapped to attention. Even though she hasn't forgiven him yet, her mind was hard wired to pick his voice out anywhere. She looked at him with open surprise; Severus had always taken his Prefect duties seriously. But he and Lila seemed bored out of their minds.

Lily couldn't help but snap, "Have somewhere to be?"

He met her gaze coolly. "As a matter of fact, yes."

"So, push off, then."

"We will," Lila said, and the two Slytherins strode out, simple as that.  
Lily belatedly realised that everyone was staring at her. "Sorry," she sighed. "I know we shouldn't be divided, what with Susan Carragher and Rory Daley..."

"It's all right," said Zelda Jones, the Hufflepuff Prefect. There was understanding in her voice, and Lily guessed she had seen the scene by the lake. She felt like the air was pressing in on her, and she stood, slightly nauseous.

"Could I go? I'll take my schedule."

The group of Prefects nodded as one, and she slipped into the corridor. Relief filled her heart, and she was feeling much better when she ran into the trolley lady. The woman beamed at her.

"Hello, dear."

"Hello, Mrs Dodd," said Lily. She reckoned she was the only student in the entire school who knew the trolley lady's name. "Had a nice summer?"  
Mrs Dodd laughed. "Quite the family reunion. My son was on work in Tibet, but he came back to visit."

"That's nice."

"Oh, look at me, babbling on. Would you like anything, dear?"

Lily examined the trolley for a moment. "Every Flavour Beans should do, I think."

Mrs Dodd nodded. "There you go." Lily gave her the coins in her pocket, and headed back to her compartment.

She could see a horde of Slytherins from her year hovering some way off, but she kept her eyes on her compartment. She was Prefect; they wouldn't be able to get away with anything. She walked a little faster. Not that she was scared; of course, she just wanted to avoid a confrontation.

"Hey, Mudblood!"

The word brought up a stinging memory, though this time, the voice wasn't Severus's. Lily kept walking. Behind the door were Marlene and Gina - no one would dare mess with the Gryffindor Beater and the Charms champ, least of all together. I am not afraid, Lily told herself. But a tiny part of her willed Marlene to open the door, see what was going on...

"Got any cleaner since last summer?"

_Don't turn around. Don't turn-_

"And your mum and dad, they as filthy as ever?"

Lily stopped. A tiny voice in her head was whispering that it wasn't worth it, but a louder voice was yelling at her to do something. She turned around to face the grinning group, unsurprised to see that Mulciber was at the head of it. Severus was notably absent. "Don't bring my parents into this," Lily said, with as much aloofness as she could muster.

"Your parents brought _you_ into this," pointed out Dorothy Greengrass, which roused a chorus of laughs.

Lily could feel her cheeks turn red, and for the first time, she wished she didn't have a Prefect badge on her robes.

"You know, Prongs," said a voice; "I'm not feeling particularly kindly towards purists at the moment."

"Can't say I disagree, Padfoot," came the reply, and James Potter and Sirius Black walked forward, standing behind Lily. She hated herself for feeling a tiny bit relieved.

"I don't need your help," she said quietly.

"Clearly," said Sirius. "Your spell is ours, Evans, since you're bound by sacred Prefect responsibilities."

She hesitated. She could do it fine on her own, but then again... She raised her wand and pointed it at the Slytherins. "You Marauders bring out the worst in me," she muttered. _"Furnunculus!"_

James and Sirius had acted a split-second after her, taking the Slytherins by surprise. Evidently, they hadn't expected her to attack. Seeing them lying dazed on the train floor gave her a grim satisfaction.

"Prongs! Padfoot! Oh, what have you done?" cried another familiar voice. Peter Pettigrew. "Remus, you're a Prefect - do something!"

"I can't believe you two!" said Remus, grinning. "Preposterous behaviour, and towards our dear friends, the Slytherins! And Freddie Mulciber, Merlin, I doubt he'll ever look the same again - what a pity!" He and Peter were walking towards Lily, James and Sirius. Peter stepped over the unconscious bodies, but Remus made sure to step on Mulciber's fingers. "I'm afraid I must inform a teacher when we get to school. If Lily here hadn't run to get reinforcements, who knows what you might've done to them!" He winked conspiratorially at her, and she gaped at the four of them.

"We've got eyes and ears everywhere, Evans," stage-whispered Sirius.

"Thanks. You don't have to cover for me, though," she smiled, moving to inspect the damage. "Gracious, I think my _Furnunculus_ combined with someone's _Tarantallegra_ - and a _stupefy_." One of the Slytherins - now unrecognisable - seemed to be knocked out, but his feet were tapping feebly.

"Nonsense. We believe in chivalry." Then, peering at the body- "The _stupefy_ can't be mine," said Sirius. "Too quick for my taste."

"Personally, I think chivalry's ridiculous - but thanks again," said Lily, heading to her compartment.

"Any time," James said.

A light, bubbly surprise - the pleasant kind - jumping in her stomach, Lily slipped into her compartment, and tried to forget all about her near-duel. "Where's Marlene?" she asked Gina, who was reading their friend's book.

Gina shrugged. "Hell if I know. She vanished just after you left."

Lily nodded slowly. "She's probably speaking to Ed." The other witch shrugged again, and they ate Lily's trolley food in silence. Marlene was not talking to Edward McKinnon, but they would not find out until much later.

"_I know I'll never hold you like_

_I used to"_

Ed Sheeran, "Drunk"

The magnificent facade of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was creeping up in front of the train, the quaint, sleepy village of Hogsmeade in front of it. Autumn had kissed every leaf, and the trees were on fire. As soon as it had appeared, Hogwarts vanished behind the mountains. The older students knew they would get a better look on the carriage ride up, but almost everyone was craning their necks to see the school anyway. Sirius was usually one of those students, eager to catch a glimpse of his favourite place. Hogwarts had always meant far more than school to him. But this time, Sirius - impulsive, thoughtless Sirius Black - was caught up in the sound of his own heartbeat. His compartment was unusually quiet, and his pulse thumped in his ears, whispering a name.

_Tess. Tess. Tess._

It was driving him mad.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the relief on her face as she took his hand, frozen even after the spell had hit her. It was making him more restless than ever, and he wanted to do something - anything - to drive the voices away. He couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts; he would occupy himself with Quidditch, brawls, drinking, and detentions like never before. And yet, all his usual excitement was drained out of him. He searched for something to say to break the monotony.

"I'm going to stretch my legs," he said, standing. Remus gave him a look.

"We're almost there."

"His walk won't take very long," said James, bemused.

"Shut up, Prongs," Sirius said, guessing instantly what he'd meant. Only a few moments later did he realise that James had been testing him, to see if he would smile at the joke. He plastered a grin onto his face, but that only made his best mate frown a little. Sirius groaned inwardly. The worst thing about knowing someone so well was that they knew you the same way. "I'm honestly just going for a walk."

"Whatever you say," replied James, stretching. Sirius slid the door open and sauntered out. Shutting it behind him, he aimlessly wandered around until he realised that he was right in front of a train door.

He unlatched it, his mind far away, and yanked it open. He was greeted by a heavy gust of wind, but he leaned into it. The air was cool, biting into his fingers. The familiar scenery sped past him, and he shut his eyes to block it out. If he'd been the poetic sort, Sirius would've been thinking deep thoughts just then. But after all, he was only a mischievous sixteen-year-old, even if he was feeling from a horrible death. The wind howled; that was a language he could understand. He leaned further out, his trainers on the very edge of the train. He wondered how it would feel to just let go.

A hand closed on the back of his robes, and pulled him back in, stepping past him to slam the door shut again. It was Marlene Dearborn, her brown hair wind-tossed, her expression half-incredulous, half-horrified.

"Black," she began, but he waylaid her.

"It isn't what it looks like," he said.

"Oh?" She crossed her arms over her chest, and Sirius realised that, short of his closest friends, Marlene was just about the worst person to run into at this moment.

"Yeah. I was just-"

"Enjoying the breeze?"

He nodded lamely. A memory came back to him: _is this the famous Black eloquence?_ The man had known who he was... With difficulty, Sirius dragged himself back to the present. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise to me," said Marlene, her tone suddenly gentle. Sirius blinked; he would've never associated the fierce Gryffindor Beater with gentleness. "I won't tell anyone if you swear it won't happen again."

"It's not like that-"

"Believe me, if you don't promise, I'll go speak to Potter this moment."

He believed her. "Fine," he exhaled, deciding he wouldn't argue. And he had been thinking of stepping off... "It won't happen again."

She relaxed visibly. "Good. Go... bully some first-years, or whatever it is that you do in your spare time."

Sirius grinned, tipping an invisible hat at her. "Yes, ma'am."

"Shut up, Black." Marlene smiled. He decided he would go back to his friends; the roar of the wind was still in his ears, and he could use some peace.

* * *

**A/N: **Before you start on Sirius being non-suicidal, I will argue that he feels very strongly. And, hello, his favourite cousin was just murdered. Excuse him if he's upset.

Reviews are stockings full of presents!

Love and peace,

Tessa


	3. Homecoming

**A/N:** Massive thank-yous to all the musicians quoted here, you guys are babes. Also, I love you 8tracks. What would I do without your totally random Marauders mixes?

**Copyright JK Rowling. Cover art belongs to deviantart user viria13.**

* * *

2: Homecoming

_"Summer has come and passed,_  
_The innocent can never last"_  
Green Day, "Wake Me Up When September Ends"

As usual, Lily found all her friends chatting near a carriage. In the chaos at Hogsmeade Station, she'd lost track of Gina, but trusted them to come to their usual meeting-place.

"You're glowing, Mary," Marlene was saying.

"Am I?" replied Mary, who was barely concealing a grin.

"Yes, you are. What were you doing?" Gina asked.

"Xavier Meadowes and I are over," said Mary happily, and Gina and Marlene exchanged glances.

"Then why are you so...?"

"Stoned," put in Marlene.

"I see I have entered at a scintillating moment in this conversation," said Lily, grinning.

"Hallo, Lil. It isn't our fault Mac's stoned."

"I am not stoned!" Mary protested. "We had break-up sex!"

Gina pulled a face. "Like a kiss goodbye?"

"Only dirtier," Marlene snorted. "Spare us the details, Mac. Let's get a carriage."

The girls made their way to a Hogwarts carriage, and Lily was waiting for Mary to climb in when she spotted James and Sirius. They were uncharacteristically silent, rather like they were at a funeral. She followed their gazes, and realised they were looking at the empty spaces in front of the carriages. She had a sneaking suspicion she knew what that was about. She wondered if she should go and say something, maybe explain what they were seeing, but what could she say?

"Oi, Lil, get in! I'm starving!" Gina called just then, and Lily pulled herself into the carriage. She felt a tad guilty, but she was soon caught up in her friends' news. Maybe she would talk to the Marauders later...

"So, Lily, I heard Terry Jones is available again," said Mary, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Mac? There's a reason we broke up." She hoped her guilt wasn't written plainly on her face. Merlin, if they knew…

"Yeah, because he was ogling Danielle Hooper. But that's over now."

"She can't just take him back!" Gina protested, horrified.

"Yeah, Mac, that would certainly make a strong, feminist statement," snorted Marlene. "That screams 'easy.'"

"I'm right here," Lily pointed out. "I think I'd prefer to go stag for a while."

"Me too," Marlene said. "I'm one hundred per cent supportive, and I'm sure Mary won't be."

Mary shrugged. "I'd say it's a waste of your youth."

"Or, my virginity?" Lily joked. "We aren't all like you, Mac."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The girls' laughter echoed up the winding path. "I'm not a tart, if that's what you're suggesting!"

"Wouldn't dream of it." Gina grinned. "What do you think the feast will be like?"

"It's always about food with you, isn't it? It'll be the same."

"I'm sorry if I'm not on a permanent diet-"

"I'm sorry if you aren't concerned about fitness!"

"Gina's fit," Marlene said. "She makes second-string Chaser every year."

"As if second-string is even worth a mention." Gina stared into the darkness glumly.

"It isn't your fault you've got a mad captain," Lily said. "You're brilliant, Gee, and Potter's too stupid to realise it."

"And what's that supposed to mean for me?" Marlene demanded, smirking.

"Your brilliance is, fortunately, noticed by aforementioned mad Potter," put in Mary. "That was what you were going to say, right, Lil? Merlin, I'm learning to be diplomatic!"  
The thought kept them in fits all the way to Hogwarts.

_"And that's when the beginning of the end begun"_  
Lana Del Rey, "This Is What Makes Us Girls"

James's least favourite part about returning to school was the Sorting Ceremony. Yes, it was the singular most important moment for most of those first-years. But he didn't really care, since first-years weren't allowed to play Quidditch. Sometimes, if he felt like it, he'd watch their first flying lessons to spot young talent. He kept a list to pass on to the next Captain, too. But he was hungry and oddly tired.

"Yarding, Melanie!" Professor McGonagall called, and there was polite applause as she was Sorted into Hufflepuff. "Yarrow, Sean!" There was a collective sigh of relief when Yarrow, Sean - the last one - was put in Ravenclaw, and Dumbledore stepped to the podium. Ignoring his exhaustion, James kept his eyes on the Headmaster. He might be a rule breaker, but he had nothing but respect for the old wizard, even if he was a bit batty.

Dumbledore beamed at them all, looking the same as ever. Purple robes, long silver beard, half-moon glasses... the man never seemed to age. "Welcome, and welcome back! I would greet you with better words, but I can see that you're all quite as famished as I am. So, without further ado, tuck in!"

James obediently dug into his food, resisting his urge to shout, "hear, hear!". Beside him, Sirius was doing much the same, but twice as fast. "Try the treacle tart," he suggested.

"You're on dessert? Already?"

"Careful, Padfoot, or everyone's going to think they starved you at Prongs's over the summer," said Remus dryly.

"Starved?" James snorted. "He ate enough to feed a small dragon."

"I can't help that I have a healthy appetite." Sirius grinned, helping himself to James's treacle tart.

"Oi, I wanted that!"

"Shame it's in my stomach, then."

James rolled his eyes, but he was secretly relieved to see Sirius acting normal again. Hogwarts seemed to have that soothing effect on everyone.

"Wormtail, do you want your treacle tart?"

"Don't give it to him, he'll be sick," muttered James.

"Nice of you to be so concerned."

"Honestly, Black, you eat like a starving dog!" Mary Macdonald called, and the Marauders all burst into laughter. Of course, no one else understood.

"Oh, more than you know, Mac," Sirius replied, still chuckling and shaking his head. Mary only gave them a confused look and turned back to her friends. James quickly looked away, doing his best to ignore the flash of red hair he'd spotted. This was the year, he told himself, that he'd get her to agree to him, or cure himself of this obsession completely.  
After they'd polished their plates - and Sirius had finished many others' - and listened to Dumbledore's short speech, the Houses rose to go back to their dorms. Remus vanished to lead Gryffindor, leaving the other three ambling near the end of the crowd. Sirius was giving some Slytherins the evil eye, but Peter distracted him by pointing at a painting.

"Look, they moved Sir Cadogan." James looked to see what he was pointing at. It was an ordinary painting of a fruit basket - in fact, it was like a miniature of the one that concealed the entrance to the kitchens. "Who?" he asked.

"Sir Cadogan, Prongs! The finest knight in the castle! Haven't you heard me talking about him?"

"Maybe. But I'd have dismissed it as drunken ramblings. What's he got to do with anything?"

"We were good friends - at least, after he stopped calling me names and I stopped putting Silencing Charms on him."  
James snorted. "Sounds like a lovely relationship."

"You and I are much the same, Prongs."

"Please, Padfoot, we are far more than that."

Remus appeared beside them then, smiling faintly. "I see we're having the monthly are-Padfoot-and-Prongs-secret-lovers conversation."

Sirius blinked at Remus in false shock. "However did you discover our secret?"

"Yes, we made sure that all our rendezvous were in private." James grinned.

"You're putting horrific images in my mind," interrupted Peter. "Why aren't we moving?" They had come to a stop outside the Fat Lady, but they hadn't budged in the last ten minutes.

"That's odd." Remus frowned. "It was fine just a minute ago-" He pushed his way to the front, and James, Sirius, and Peter followed. James waved cheerily at the Fat Lady, but she was so agitated that she didn't even wave back. This must be worse than he'd imagined.

"_Kelpie marsh_," Lily was saying. "That is the password, isn't it?"

"It is," the Fat Lady replied.

"So why aren't you letting us in?" Sirius demanded.

"I am trying to protect you! Believe me, you don't want to go inside-"

"What is going on here?" said a familiar voice. James could see the relief on the Fat Lady's voice when Professor McGonagall appeared, looking as ageless as ever.

"Professor, the dorms are in no state to be seen by students!" the Fat Lady wailed.

"Then I will see them. _Kelpie marsh_."

But the Fat Lady shook her head. "I won't open until the students leave - this isn't a sight for young minds!"

"You cannot resist the charm forever. _Kelpie marsh_."

James saw the painting inch open slightly, but immediately shut again. And he suddenly understood what had to be done. _"Kelpie marsh!"_ he called. _"Kelpie marsh, kelpie marsh, kelpie marsh!"__  
_

Soon the entire House caught on, and they were all singing the password like a choir, McGonagall at their head conducting it. The Fat Lady slammed her painting closed, but James could see the fatigue on her plump, red face. _"Kelpie marsh, kelpie marsh, KELPIE MARSH!"__  
_

And finally the door burst open with a rare howl from the Fat Lady: "Oh, _drat_ you, Potter!" After this, she burst into tears. James took that as a compliment, but his smile faded instantly when he looked into the portrait-hole.

"Good God," said McGonagall quietly. There was no other way to describe it.

The Common Room looked as if a hurricane had gone through it; the chairs upside-down, the stuffing torn out of them. The paintings lay askew, some, even ripped out of their frames. The gold ornaments on the mantelpiece were on the ground, crushed in a way only magic could manage. Wood from the fireplace was strewn all over the carpet, and ashes coated everything. The Gryffindor tapestry that had hung on a wall was gone, but James saw a bit of burned cloth near where the tapestry should've been.

"Who could've done this?" whispered Remus, asking the one thing that was on everyone's minds.

"I think we'll find that's quite clear," McGonagall replied grimly. She was pale and tight-lipped as she stepped gingerly into the room, and picked up an empty frame that lay on the carpet. Craning his neck to get a better look, James recognised the ornate frame - it had once held the portrait of McGonagall herself. Instead of the painting, there was writing in red.

_THE BLOOD-CLEANSING BEGINS__  
__HOUSE OF THE LIONS, BE WARNED_

_"You can't be too careful anymore_  
_When all that is waiting for you_  
_Won't come any closer_"  
Paramore, "Careful"

To the Gryffindors' credit, Sirius thought, no one panicked. Instantly, McGonagall left with Remus to speak to Dumbledore, sending a silvery cat Patronus ahead of them. The seventh- and sixth-years formed a protective circle around the younger students under Lily's instructions, and every hand was clutching a wand. The air was uncharacteristically grim, not a Marauder's favourite, he thought woefully. But that could change.

An idea burst into his mind with the force of a Bludger, and Sirius whispered it to James. His friend grinned, and nodded. They separated until they were at opposite ends of the circle, and turned to face each other. Raising their wands, James and Sirius conjured bursts of sparks which carefully reshaped themselves into two stout knights, riding two fat ponies several feet above their heads. Sirius had modelled his on Sir Cadogan, and as the two knights charged, his promptly fell off his horse. The light show had caught some students' eyes, and there was a gasp when Sirius's knight spiralled towards the crowd. He exploded in a shower of sparks, which rejoined and floated up to mount his pony again. James's knight pranced about pompously, so Sirius's managed to disarm him easily. Realising he was done for, James's knight slapped his pony's rump, and they took off. Sirius's knight followed, making indignant spluttering noises.

"Oi, that's cheating!" Sirius laughed. "You can't run away!"

"I can't help it if he's a coward," replied James.

"Sir Cowardly, indeed," muttered Sirius as James fashioned a new lance. The two knights met in a burst of light, and the Gryffindors cheered. There was a rising chant of "Sir Cowardly! Sir Cowardly!"

"For Merlin's sake, we're Gryffindors! Why are you all on his side?" Sirius shouted, as their lances collided again. Suddenly, James's knight beat a hasty retreat - Sirius hadn't even noticed the third knight cantering towards them. This one was tall, and rode a proper horse. "Hang on-"

But the knight impaled both of theirs, a sword in each hand. Applause rang out, and Sirius spotted Peter taking a bow. The mysterious knight disappeared with a wave of his wand.

"Peter? That was you?" Sirius asked, unable to keep the admiration from his voice.

"Yeah," said Peter, a little bashfully.

"Nice move. Sneak up while we're occupied, eh?" James called, dismissing his own illusion.

Footsteps rang out on the stone floor, and Sirius saw a grim Dumbledore approaching, followed by the Heads of Houses, and the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Harper. Quick as lightning, Sirius put out his sparks-knight, but not before McGonagall saw it. To his surprise, she gave him an approving nod.

"Prefects, please lead your House to the Great Hall," Dumbledore called. Murmurs of disbelief rippled through the Gryffindors. "The other Houses will join you there. There is strength in unity, and safety in numbers."

"Follow me," said Lily Evans crisply, going to the top of the staircase. "First-years first, please." A small group of seventh-years went with her as well. Sirius lagged behind with James and Peter, joining Remus as he brought up the rear.

"Surreal," James commented. "We're sleeping in the Great Hall."

"Our Common Room was vandalised," Remus pointed out. "Isn't that more surreal to you?"

Sirius answered for him. "We're all in shock. Right now, the weirdest thing is having to sleep under that enchanted ceiling."

"Sensibility from Sirius Black." Remus shook his head. "Whatever's the world come to?"

Smiling faintly, the Marauders entered the Great Hall. Purple sleeping bags were laid out on the floor; they chose four at the opposite end of the hall, near the teachers' table. A short conversation with a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw proved that no other House knew what had happened, but the story was spreading like wildfire. Sirius could hear whispers of 'Gryffindor', 'Common Room', and, quietest of all, 'Death Eaters'. The Gryffindor ghost, Nearly Headless Nick, glided up to him.

"Ah, Sirius," he said grimly.

"Hello, Nick," Sirius replied. "Do you have any idea how it could've happened?"

"Not a clue. No one could've got in or out of the Common Room, the Fat Lady would've known."

"And you can't Apparate inside Hogwarts... Was the fireplace-?"

Nearly Headless Nick shook his head. "It might've been connected to the Floo network, but it isn't anymore. No traces of Floo powder."

Sirius didn't doubt the ghost's information. "Then..."

Nick nodded. "There's only one possibility."

It couldn't have been the teachers.  
It had to be students.

Almost involuntarily, he glanced at where the Slytherins sat, annoyance on most of their faces for being dragged out of their dorms. But here and there, he could see a smug smile, a mysterious expression, a knowing laugh. Following his gaze, Nick sighed. "Professor Dumbledore is correct. Without unity, Hogwarts can never reach its pinnacle of glory."  
Sirius nodded, not really listening. He was willing to bet it was one of them; all he wanted to know was which one... He caught sight of his brother - no, not his brother - Regulus, sitting with his Slytherin buddies. Even though he'd broken off all ties with his family, he couldn't help hoping, praying, even, that Regulus hadn't been involved. Closing his eyes a moment, Sirius calmed himself down. Nearly Headless Nick nodded at him, wearing a sad, knowing smile, before departing. Somehow, that annoyed him. Sirius strolled back to his sleeping bag, laying down on it. It was actually quite comfortable... maybe one night on the floor wouldn't be that bad...

James flopped down beside him. "That ceiling is getting to me," he announced.

"Really?" Sirius yawned.

"Yes. It's watching me."

"All ceilings do that, Prongs."

"But this one does it worse," insisted James. "I'll never get to sleep."

"Don't sleep, then." Sirius loosened his tie, peeled off his blazer, and unzipped his sleeping bag. His shoes and socks came off next, and he unbuttoned his shirt a little more. James snorted, seeing more than a few girls nearby gawping.

"Honestly, Padfoot, I didn't think you were one for public performances."

"Consider it a social experiment," replied Sirius blithely, buttoning his shirt again. "As you well know, my performances are very exclusive."

James rolled his eyes. "Are you sleeping, or what?"

"If it comes, I shall embrace it." He wriggled under the purple layer, marvelling at how warm it was. "Merlin, it's nice in here." A passing fifth-year girl stared at him, and he winked. "Care to join me?" The girl hurried away, but a smile and a blush were stealing over her pretty face. "Ah, I love Hogwarts."

"You mean, the Hogwarts girls." James grinned.

"No talking," Remus called, smiling. The teachers put out the lights, patrolling through the rows and rows of sleeping bags. The Prefects walked around too, and Remus was sure to stay near the other Marauders.

"Oi, Moony, what's the time?" whispered Sirius after what felt like centuries of hushed silence. It was the horrible sound of people sleeping; he couldn't remember the last time he'd heard it.

"Barely eleven."

Sirius swore. "I can't sleep."

Even in the darkness, he could see his friend's grin, silhouetted against the faintly starry ceiling. "Missing our dorm? Why, Padfoot, you might actually have a heart!"

"You know that it's you I miss, Moony," Sirius retorted. "What did the teachers do?"

Remus sobered. "I reckon some of them are still up there, cleaning up the Common Room. They brought us here so we'd be easier to watch."

Sirius snorted. "Well, the Slytherins don't have anything to worry about. In fact, I reckon they're the ones who did it."  
There was silence for a moment. "Padfoot, they don't even know where the Common Room is. They don't know the password. And if they'd come in through the Fat Lady, she'd have told someone-"

"Then they Floo'd there."

"They were all on the train."

"Are you saying that it was the Death Eaters?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"I'm saying that it seems to be the only possibility."

Professor Sprout passed by, and both boys were quiet again till she was out of earshot.

"That's mad, Moony - why would they care about us? Most of us aren't even of age yet!" said Sirius after she'd gone.

"But controlling the young magic population - it makes sense," Remus pointed out. "Recruits are important too. Where would they be without fresh stock?"

Sirius couldn't deny the logic. "But why strike out like that? Why not... I dunno, attack more discreetly?"

"Who can say?"

"Lupin, you can go get some rest," a voice said. "I'll take over."

"Thanks, Smith."

Remus slid into his sleeping bag, and turned to Sirius. "We can always ask McGonagall. She might tell us what they've found."

Sirius shuddered. "As much as I respect the woman, Moony, I doubt she'll speak to us at all. Especially about things like this." _Important things._ He thought of the nod she'd given him in front of the Fat Lady - had he imagined that?

"We could always try," Remus pointed out.

"We could." Sirius yawned again. "I'm out, Moony."

"Yeah. Goodnight."

"Don't let the bedbugs bite."

_"I'd rather be a comma_  
_Than a full-stop"_  
Coldplay, "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall"

Lily woke early the next morning, rolled up her sleeping bag, and went straight to Gryffindor Tower. A few older students were milling about by the Fat Lady, who was back to her composed, pompous self. McGonagall was there too, standing guard by the portrait.

"Good morning, Professor," said Lily.

"Miss Evans," McGonagall replied, sounding a little weary. "We've checked the Tower. It's safe to go inside now."

Lily nodded. "Thanks, Professor."

"Oh, there's a new password," McGonagall added. _"Gurdyroot."_

The Fat Lady swung open to admit her. Lily climbed into the Common Room, wondering what on earth a Gurdyroot was. She was relieved to see that the entire room looked the same as ever, with no evidence of the previous night's break-in except for the missing tapestry. All the paintings had been restored, although most of them looked irritable and grouchy. Lily went up the winding staircase to the girls' dorms, marvelling at how quiet everything was. If it was a normal first day, she thought, there would be chaos. Everyone rushing down to get their breakfast and timetables, the first-years nearly being trampled, Lily trying to maintain some semblance of order... She smiled faintly. This was one incident - surely nothing like this would happen again. Out of sight, out of mind, like the Muggles said...

She pushed open the door to their dorm, grinning at how familiar it was. She'd practically lived the last five years in this very room. Her trunk was by her bed, which was the one nearest the window. Plopping down on the bed, Lily gazed out at the grounds, the breathtaking beauty of the green of the Forest meeting the blue of the mountains. There wasn't a school anywhere like Hogwarts.

There was a hesitant knock at the door - not the main door, the connecting door - and Lily said, "Come in." The girls' dorms were in pairs, with a connecting door in between each. Lily's dorm was joined to Isabel Chantais and Annika Patil's, and Annika pushed the door open just then.

"Hello, Lily," said the dark-haired witch. "Mind if I keep this open? I know it's morning, and it's really silly of me but... I'd rather not be alone."

Lily smiled. "Of course. How was your summer?"

"Oh, brilliant. We went to Switzerland, and I learned how to ski." Annika bent over her trunk, unpacking her things. She was already in fresh robes, her hair a little damp from a shower.

"That sounds like fun."

"It was. I don't mean to be nosy, but... You were at the Longbottoms' wedding, weren't you?" Lily nodded. "I heard what happened. It must've been terrible."

"None of us were hurt, except for-"

"Tess Johnson," Annika nodded. "Gee told me."

"Oh. Right." Sometimes Lily forgot that Annika was in Gee's band - she looked like a water nymph, and the furthest thing from a guitarist. "I think I'll go shower now." She knew none of her friends would be awake anytime soon, and she might as well seize her opportunity. She could've gone to the Prefects' bathroom, but then she might run into him...

"Oh, yeah. I hope you don't mind if I just wait here - Bel's a really heavy sleeper."

"Sure." Lily grabbed her robes and slipped into the bathroom. Everything in it was super-shiny, polished to the point where it almost blinded her. The house elves must've already been over it, because all their toiletries were arranged perfectly, each girl's on a different shelf. The water was beautifully scalding, fogging up the mirror instantly. Even over the hiss of the shower, Lily could hear Annika strumming an unfamiliar song on her guitar. Once she felt spotlessly clean, she dressed and dried her hair with a quick spell. Grinning, she cleared the mirror to check her reflection. Thank Merlin, she could use magic again. She pulled on a light blazer, and pinned her Prefect badge on. Sticking her wand into her bun, she pushed the door open. Annika wasn't alone; Marlene was fretting over her broom, and Isabel was trying to help her fix a broken twig - or something of the sort.

"Morning," said Lily.

"Hi, Lily," Isabel said.

"Lil, my broom is never going to be the same again!"

"Marlene Dearborn, get a hold of yourself!" Isabel laughed. "You sound like Mac."

"Heavens, I actually do."

"Did any of you notice the extra bed?" Annika said suddenly, pointing into her dorm. Sure enough, there was a third bed in their room. "McGonagall said we've an odd number of girls in our year."

"That was when we were first-years," Marlene pointed out, not looking up from her Cleansweep.

"You haven't heard?" Isabelle said, glancing at their puzzled expressions.

"Heard what?" Lily asked.

"The transfer!"

"The what?" chorused the other three.

"The American transfer - I reckon with last night's happenings, McGonagall forgot to mention it to us."

"Then where is she?"

"I don't know. Maybe she stayed in McGonagall's quarters."

All four girls tried to picture the mysterious American transfer sharing a room with Minerva McGonagall. From what she'd learned from the telly, Lily had come to think of Americans as a different species. "How strange," she said, voicing all of their thoughts.

"Maybe we'll see her at breakfast," suggested Marlene. "They're getting everyone out of bed and laying the tables."

"Excellent," Annika said. "I'm starved. Coming, anyone?"

"Showers first," Isabel said. "Why don't you go on with Lily?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," said Lily. Picking up her bookbag, she and Annika headed down into the Common Room, which was considerably noisier. "I saw that - no jinxing in the Common Room!" she called to a third-year who had just stowed his wand into his pocket.

"Yeah, the corridor's waiting, mate," Sirius Black laughed.

"Learn the good hexes first," James Potter was telling his opponent. "My money's on you."

"Hey - I'll deduct points for all four of you," Lily said hotly.

Annika grinned. "Let it go. They're just trying to get on your nerves."

"That's working well for them," she muttered, but followed Annika out of the portrait-hole.

The Great Hall looked the same as usual, with the House tables and breakfast smelling something heavenly. Most students were still in the previous night's clothes, sleepily forking bacon and eggs down. Mary and Gina were in their usual seats at the Gryffindor table, talking and eating - well, Mary barely was. Lily and Annika joined them, helping themselves to pancakes. Everything was so normal, the trashed Common Room might never have happened.

"This year," Gina was saying, "I swear, I'm going to make the Quidditch team."

"Bel's been saying the same thing all summer," Annika said. "Good luck to you both." She shuddered, glancing over her shoulder at the Marauders, who'd just entered.

"Don't worry, Gee," Mary said, peeling an orange delicately. "You'll make it - oh, this is awfully sour."

"Try it with some syrup," Lily said, grinning wickedly at her friend's disgusted expression.

"That's pure sugar, Lil. I'd be sick if I ate that. Did you see McGonagall? We usually have our timetables by-" Mary trailed off, her eyes becoming as wide as crystal balls. _"Merlin's filthiest boxers."_

Lily turned around in her seat. McGonagall had just entered the Hall, but she wasn't the cause for Mary's gawking. Behind her was a supermodel. There was no other way to describe her - she was willowy as a wand, her gleaming auburn hair piled on top of her head. Her skirt was definitely more than a few inches too high, Lily noted distastefully. She held herself like a queen, her full lips pursed. And she wore no stockings. "Merlin's ten-year-old, mouldy socks," she corrected, raising an eyebrow. The girl was attracting stares from all over the Hall, even the Slytherins watching despite her red and yellow tie. There were rapturous gazes here and there - and not all of them were boys.

"This is the American girl?" Annika said softly, horror on her face. Lily didn't blame her - she'd have to put up with the girl for the next two years.

"S'pose so," Gina murmured. "At least she doesn't look like a Quidditch player." Gina was wrong, but that is irrelevant just now.

McGonagall came to a stop in front of her House, giving disapproving glares to the sixth- and seventh-year boys, who seemed ready to propose. When she spoke, she addressed Lily, Annika, Mary, and Gina. "This is your new classmate, Hannah Madison. Miss Madison is from - New York, isn't it?"

Hannah Madison nodded. "Yeah."

"I hope you'll make her feel at home," McGonagall finished. Lily was amused to see the vigorous nods the boys gave her. "Now, we can begin with the timetables."

"Please don't sit here, don't sit here, don't sit here, don't sit here," Mary chanted under her breath. "Don't sit - _bloody hell_."  
For Hannah Madison had just taken her seat - next to Mary.

The Hall held its breath. Lily stifled a laugh. This would be interesting.

"Hello," Hannah drawled. "I'm Hannah - but you know that already, right?" She laughed carelessly, oblivious to Mary's disgust.

"Yes. Hello. Mary Macdonald." Mary held her hand out stiffly.

"Lily Evans," said Lily, eager to stop this war before it began.

"Hi. Oh, are you a Prefect?" Hannah pointed at the P on Lily's chest.

"I am, actually."

"I'd better watch out for you then!" Hannah laughed again.

Seizing the momentary silence after that, Lily said, "And this is Gina Edgecombe - and Annika Patil."

"You're my roomie!" Hannah exclaimed. "I'm sure we'll be best friends." Annika looked terrified at the prospect.

"Ooh, you really have a fine collection of boys," continued Hannah. "That one there - yummy!"

Perhaps it was the word 'yummy', so similar to Mary's 'delicious', or - far more likely - that Hannah had pointed at Xavier Meadowes. Nonetheless, Mary tossed the rest of her orange on her empty plate and marched off. "What's gotten into her?" Hannah asked in confusion.

The other three girls exchanged uncomfortable glances. How could they tell Hannah Madison that she'd essentially committed social suicide? "Erm, she-" Lily began.

"Oh, she has a thing for that boy, huh?" Hannah shook her head. "I'm really sorry."

Lily had no idea what to say to that. "No, it isn't like that. She's just..."

"Not a morning person," Gina finished, smiling and rising to get her timetable.

There was an uncomfortable silence, and Lily shifted with unease. She jumped up when McGonagall called her name, smiling in relief at her Head of House.

"Ah, Miss Evans. You're cleared for all your subjects. I was very pleased with your Transfiguration OWL." McGonagall waved her wand, and gave Lily a filled out timetable.

"Thank you, Professor." Slightly miffed that she'd finished so quickly, Lily strolled back to the table.

"Potter, when are Quidditch tryouts?" Marlene hollered halfway across the table.

"Next Saturday!" came the reply.

"Well, why not sooner?" she demanded.

"I'm the captain, Dearborn! Tread carefully!"

"Ha, you wouldn't punish my insolence."

"I could refuse to take you back," James offered, walking up to Marlene with his friends.

"As if," Marlene scoffed. "And lose your prized Beater?"

Sirius grinned. "He wouldn't."

"What's Quidditch?" Hannah inquired suddenly.

"Maybe I could show you sometime," Sirius replied, winking. Lily rolled her eyes, but she, James, and Gina all noticed Marlene's dark expression. James quickly dragged Sirius away, throwing an apologetic look at Marlene over his shoulder. How strange, Lily thought, to see a decent-ish Potter.

"First-period Ancient Runes?" Gina asked sympathetically. "Me too. Let's go, then."

Grateful to leave the awkward scene, Lily grabbed her bag, waved vaguely at her friends, and walked out with Gina.  
Ancient Runes was, for once, dreadfully boring, and Lily doodled in her textbook margins with a pencil she'd found in her book bag. Thankfully, the Gryffindors had Ancient Runes with the Ravenclaws, so the class was focused, to say the least. But Lily found that the silent class, punctuated only by Professor Babbling's voice, too quiet. She was alone with her thoughts, which was what she'd been avoiding for the entire summer. And all she could think about was one person, even though she knew that she shouldn't. Sighing, Lily peered at Gina's watch. Half an hour left... She'd never have guessed that she would count down the minutes to Charms with the Slytherins.

_"It's a risky business but I'll play it anyway"_  
No Doubt, "Push and Shove"

James pulled a fat gold Galleon from his pocket as the Marauders strolled to Charms class.

"Heads we let Flitwick's class pass undisturbed," he yawned, flipping the coin. To his mild annoyance, it landed on heads.

"You're just feeling kindly to him because of the mark he gave you," Remus laughed. "Normally, you wouldn't have taken the toss."

James rolled his eyes. "That is not true. I can't be bought."

"Well, a Galleon says the centre of that commotion is Lily Evans," said Sirius suddenly, pointing at a horde of Slytherins ahead of them, the red of the Gryffindors visible through them. "Coming through, ladies and gentlemen!" The Slytherins parted, scowling, and Sirius led the way to where, sure enough, Lily Evans stood glaring at Snivellus Snape and Dorothy Greengrass.

"You know, Evans," James said, stopping beside her, "for a Prefect, you really are a troublemaker."

She turned her glare to him. "I do not need your help."

"Indeed. So, you and your..." He paused, counting Mary, Marlene, Gina, Isabel, Annika, and the new American "-six friends facing off against this lot? You've got spirit, but I'd think twice before betting on you."

"Speaking of bets," Sirius chimed in, "you owe me a Galleon. Each."

James waved him off. "Concentrate on the matter at hand, Padfoot."

"We were just resolving this sensibly, and verbally," Lily said.

"Seems to me like the only things being exchanged verbally here are insults."

"Padfoot."

"Right. Concentrate. Ahem, good morning, fellow Hogwarts students. That all right, Prongs?"

He bit back his smile and turned to the Slytherins. "Snivellus, Greenbean. Pleasure as always. Now, if someone could explain to me what exactly this disagreement is?"

"It's none of your business, is what it is," muttered Lily.

"Does that mean we have permission to mindlessly attack and claim it had nothing to do with you?" Sirius said enthusiastically.

"Yes, you'd get blood and lose house points," said Remus dryly. "I don't know what this is about," he addressed the Slytherins, "but just lay off Lily, all right?"

"How nice," Dorothy sneered. "So you lost one male protector-" she glanced at Snivellus here, which inexplicably irked James "-and gained three and a half!"

"Hey, Wormtail isn't a half," Sirius protested. "He's at least three-quarters-"

"Shut it, Black," a loud voice suddenly said from behind them. "Move, now." To everyone's surprise, Marlene Dearborn stepped forward, wand raised. "Let it be known," she announced, "that I've been practising on my brother, and have finally mastered the Bat Bogey Hex. Try me." She glared at Dorothy Greengrass. "Especially you, _Greenbean_. I've wanted to hex you since I first met you."

"It'll certainly improve her face," observed Mary Macdonald, examining her own wand. "Maybe you could show your mum over Christmas. She'll be so pleased."

"And as for you," said Gina Edgecombe, giving Snivellus an icy stare. "Not only will I set the combined power of these four on you, but I will personally ruin you in every possible way if you ever talk to - hang on, _look at_ my friend again. Got that, Snape?"

"Colour me impressed," James muttered, eyeing the girls. "Did you ever see this side of them?"

"It's like teddy bears morphing into rabid grizzlies," Sirius nodded.

"So back off," Lily added, and the door to the Charms classroom swung open. Professor Flitwick, who was about as high as James's thigh, looked at all of them suspiciously.

"Come in," he said finally. They all filed into the class, taking their usual seats. James and Sirius bagged their back bench, with Remus and Peter in front of them. "All of you here have been cleared for NEWT Charms, and while your performance was satisfactory, I was disappointed to see that only one of you managed an Outstanding."

Oh, Merlin. James was not feeling so kindly towards Flitwick anymore. Everyone was looking around, trying to guess who the mystery student was. "And that person," continued Flitwick, "is-"

_Merlin.  
_He despised the bloke.

"James Potter."

There was a stunned silence, and for the first time, James squirmed a little under the gazes of his classmates. It wasn't _that_ surprising, was it? He waved a little, which earned him a few prize scowls from the Slytherins. Gina was still openly gawking at him, and Lily was blinking in confusion. He just pointedly returned their stares, elbowing Sirius to wipe off that ridiculous grin he was wearing.

"Congratulations, Mr Potter," said Flitwick, oblivious to the change in his class. "Now, we will be beginning with Aguamenti Charms... Pray tell me, what is an Aguamenti Charm?" Finally, everyone looked away from him, focusing on Flitwick's question. James could've sworn he'd heard a whoosh when Lily and Snivellus raised their hands. He smiled faintly. This ought to be interesting. Flitwick picked Lily.

"The Aguamenti Charm produces a jet of clean, pure water from the tip of the caster's wand," she said promptly, and he beamed.

"Precisely. Five points to Gryffindor." Flitwick waved his wand, and a row of targets lined up against the classroom wall. "Now, you will practise the charm against the targets in pairs, and work on your aim, please." At the word 'pairs', everyone inched towards their preferred partner, but Flitwick smiled. "I will be making the pairs." There was a stifled groan. "Miss Macdonald and Mr Black; Miss Romanov and Mr McKinnon; Miss Greengrass and Mr Lupin; Miss Edgecombe and Mr Avery; Miss Madison and Mr Snape..." The pairs stood and moved off to a target, and soon, James and Lily were the only ones sitting in the Gryffindor row. Then, they were the only ones sitting. Lily's eyes grew wide in dismay as she realised what he had, and James grinned at her. Yet another chance to fluster Lily Evans; perhaps Charms wasn't that bad. He followed her to the last target, and they waited for Flitwick's instructions.

"The incantation is 'Aguamenti', and wave your wands like so." He demonstrated from his stool, and his gleaming jet of water hit a target squarely in the centre. "Begin."

Lily attacked the target with amusing ferocity, pausing now and then to give James a go. He watched her frown become a glower as he hit the bull's-eye again and again. Holding back a smile, he pointed his wand at Flitwick, and said, "Muffliato." Lily looked at him askance, and he said, "You've been positively bursting to say something since the beginning of class. So, go on."

"Fine," she said. "I will. I appreciate your help on the train, but what's between Severus and me is none of your business. I'd rather you didn't interfere. In fact-" She stopped herself, shooting water outside the target. "Merlin."

James raised an eyebrow at her. "You can't seriously think it's my fault that he called you _that_."

"It isn't a cuss word," she snapped. "You can say it in front of me."

"I'd rather not. But you don't think that, do you?"

"Yeah? What makes you so sure?" Her next charm was just as wild.

"You aren't aiming right," he said. "And I think you're too diplomatic to allow yourself to believe that."

"It doesn't matter. He said what he said. But _he_ has nothing to do with this. Hell - what's _wrong_ with my aim?"

"Oh, doesn't he?" James hit the bull's-eye again. "Everything, actually. Your arm is shaking halfway through your spell."

"How did you even notice that? Anyway, he doesn't. What I'm trying to say is that we've been at odds since our first year." She pushed her hair out of her face.

"You've been at odds with me," he corrected. "I've wanted nothing but to be friends."

"Friends, indeed," she snorted. "And after years of bullying my best mate, I suppose you think I'll just skip over to you?"

James was a little taken aback by this. "But you said you weren't-"

"I know we might not be best mates anymore! The point is, it doesn't change who you are or what you did."

She rarely really offended James - how could she, being Lily Evans - but this got to him. "Hang on, since when do you know who I am?"

She eyed him coolly. "Everyone knows. The school bully."

"That isn't true."

"It is. You picked on Severus because he doesn't have what you do-"

"And what's that?" He hoped she could hear the absolute rage in his voice. "A sense of decency? You know as well as anyone that they're neck-deep in Dark magic. Waiting to join You-Know-Who like his next bloody lackeys-"

"You don't know how he is!" she hissed.

"You don't know how _I_ am," he retorted. "As I recall, we've been at odds since our first year, so how would you know anything about me?" He shook his head. "_Merlin_, Evans. Do you know what the Death Eaters do?"

Her gaze suddenly became curious - the bad sort. "Are you all right, Potter?"

"Spiffing," he spat, hitting the bull's-eye again. It gave him a nasty sort of pleasure to see that she couldn't.

"This _stupid_ Charm!" Lily raised her arm again, brows knitted in concentration.  
"_Oh_, for Merlin's sake." James didn't know what made him do it, but he grabbed her wrist at the last second and tilted it upwards.

It burst the target to chunks of wood.

For a moment, they just stood there, his hand on her arm, staring at the soaking wet debris that had once been their target. In turn, the entire class was staring at them. The explosion seemed to have overcome the Muffliato spell, because Flitwick hurried over and mended the target. He beamed at the still-frozen pair. "Wonderful - I see you both hit the target multiple times! Try not to put that much strength into the charm, though. That would topple a burning building as soon as it put the fire out. You may sit."

James dropped his hand from Lily's hastily. He regretted it in about two seconds. He had almost held her hand - almost - and he'd let it go? He was mental. Somewhere in his head, James knew he sounded absolutely depraved - and a little pathetic. But he calmly pivoted around and reclaimed his seat. Unsurprisingly, Lily went back to where she'd been sitting before, several benches ahead of him. He had a perfect view of her long, unruly red hair. Maybe he'd settle for that just now, he thought, leaning back and smiling faintly at the memory of her annoyance. No one got annoyed like Lily Evans. Whatever happened, he would be sure to annoy her at least once every year, just to see that exasperated look on her face. Shaking himself lightly, he stared at the high ceiling of the Charms classroom. Everyone else seemed as irritated with their pair as Lily had been - except for Sirius and Mary. They were closest to James, and he could hear Mary laughing when her charm hit Sirius instead of the target.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Black, did I get you all _wet_?" she said slyly as he dried himself, half-laughing and shaking his head. James suppressed a smile. Mary was quite unlike any of Lily's friends... And she'd been looking at Sirius oddly for a while. Of course, Padfoot was totally blind to that, but the git hadn't even noticed Marlene's secretive glances at him... James reckoned his entire Quidditch team knew about it. Come to think of it, all those girls were ridiculous, and he was the only one who saw it. Lily, who was impervious to him and Snivellus; Marlene, chasing Sirius without noticing Ed; Mary, getting whatever - and whoever - she wanted; Gina, busying herself with schoolwork and pretending she didn't sneak looks at Hyperion Smith; Annika, who was absorbed entirely in her music; Bel, feisty and bubbly and everyone's type, but terribly hard to please. Merlin knew this American bird would be just as bad. And that was only the Gryffindors in his year... James sighed. Girls, he reflected, were an awful lot of trouble. But unfortunately for him, he was drawn to trouble like a moth to a candle.

"That will be enough for today," squeaked Flitwick. "I expect you all to practise the charm until I see you next..."

Gathering his things, James rose from his seat. He waited a moment for Remus - only the two of them took Herbology - and then they continued out towards the greenhouses and into the sun.

_"See, heaven's got a plan for you"_  
Swedish House Mafia, "Don't You Worry Child"

The week passed with no incident, and the Gryffindors were slowly beginning to forget the destroyed Common Room. The students returned to their routines, their talk becoming far more mundane than Death Eaters and You-Know-Who. The very first interesting day came soon enough, though, and Hogwarts students turned out in droves. Mary Macdonald was one of those students, sitting idly in the bleachers of the Quidditch grounds and watching James Potter rage at a gang of Ravenclaws from his broom.

"I AM NOT BLIND, YOU KNOW!" he shouted. "PUSH OFF BEFORE I START HEXING YOU!" In fits, they drifted off, and the Quidditch Captain turned his attention to some Slytherins.

"Hello, Mac," a voice said from behind Mary, and she swiveled around in her seat to see who it was. Sirius Black grinned at her, broom in hand, in his scarlet Quidditch robes. "Come to watch the games, eh?"

She smiled. "I'm here to watch Marlene, Gina, and Bel, actually."

Sirius waved a dismissive hand. "Dearborn will be in, no doubt. Prongs wouldn't give her and Ed up for the world."

"She isn't worried either. Gina's terribly anxious, though..."

"And I expect Bel's got all of her blunt sarcasm prepared in case she's booted to second-string again," finished Sirius. "Nah, I think she'll make it too. Prongs will pick what's best for the team."

"Yeah... He's really dedicated." Mary's gaze travelled back to the pitch, where James was now roaring at first-years.

Sirius snorted. "You don't know the half of it."

"What about you?" The question seemed to startle Sirius, though not as much as it startled Mary. She always began by talking about the bloke, because flattery was so easy... She mentally scolded herself. Black was off-limits. Completely.

"I love Quidditch," he said simply. "I gather you don't play?" Mary shook her head. "It's a great feeling." He didn't elaborate, and she didn't ask.

"Weren't you suspended from the team?"

This was the wrong question. His face clouded over, and for a moment, Mary thought he wouldn't answer. "Yeah," he said. "For nearly two years. Dumbledore lifted the ban this year, though."

"Got into trouble?"

"A spot of bother." There was a heavy silence.

"I think he's calling the Chasers now," said Mary finally. "You're going, aren't you?"

Sirius's devil-may-care smirk returned, which oddly relieved Mary. "Yep, I'm off. Cheer for me, Mac." He hopped on his broom, and soared off to where the hopefuls were gathering. Mary could see Gina's brown ponytail all the way from where she sat, next to Sirius's tousled black head. She imagined her friend bouncing with nervousness, biting her tongue and trying to remember everything she needed to do... Mary smiled and crossed her fingers for Gee.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to do some things," puffed Lily, dropping onto the bench next to Mary. "Did I miss anything?"

"No, they've only just started." Glancing at the redhead, Mary frowned. Lily's cheeks were unusually flushed, and she was smiling faintly. "What things?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, _things_," replied Lily airily. Unconvinced, Mary looked back at the pitch. _Going stag, my arse_, she thought.

James had divided the Chasers into groups of three, and played two groups against each other. Isabel and a seventh-year, Tom Fields, acted as Keepers. Soon enough, Mary and Lily were squeezing each other's hands, not daring to look away. Gina had the misfortune of playing against Sirius's group, but to everyone's surprise - his not the least - she shot sixteen goals, outscoring all the competition. Mary jumped up, cheering, and Gina waved back at her. She and Sirius were picked to fill the two empty Chasers' spots.

"She did it, she did it - oh, she's on the team, Lil!" Mary squealed.

"I know!" Lily laughed. "I know, Mac!"

There was hardly anything left for them to watch - both of them had the utmost confidence in Marlene's Beater skills. For the first time, though, she herself did not.

Marlene watched Gina's fabulous playing, and a warm sort of pride filled her. She ran to hug Gina the moment she stepped off her broom, spinning her around in her trademark way.

"Marlene - put - me - down - can't - breathe," Gina gasped, and Marlene hastily set her down. She immediately dropped to the grassy ground, staring at the sky.

"You all right?" Marlene asked, peering at her friend.

"She's fine," laughed Ed McKinnon. "Mild case of euphoria."

"And you can recognise that?" Marlene said, turning to him.

"'Course I can. Just how I can also recognise-" he pulled her a little ways away "-nerves." He raised an eyebrow at her.

Marlene met his gaze unflinchingly. "I don't get nervous."

"And yet, here you are. I'm not daft, Mars."

"I don't know," she blurted. "I'm not even the right build for a Beater-"

"And yet here you are," he said again, his brown eyes sparkling. He smiled at her. "I know everyone's got things to say about that: you're too skinny, you're a girl, you're too light. I'm not the 'right build' either. But honestly, you're a great player - and you don't need me to tell you that."

She breathed in deeply. "Yeah. You're right."

"Always am, Dearborn."

"Oh, shut it." Marlene punched him lightly on the shoulder, and they mounted their brooms in unison. He tossed her a Beater's club, and she lifted it easily. I can do this, she told herself. Merlin, I don't doubt. That isn't me. I can do this. She glanced at Ed again, and they tapped their bats against the other's for good luck.

"Mars?" Ed said.

"Yeah?"

"You know what we're going to do?"

"Kick behind. As always." She flashed him a smile, and waited for James's say-so. Marlene knew his tryouts techniques inside-out, but this time, when he called out the Chasers, she hadn't the foggiest idea of what he was planning.

"Right," he called, bobbing some twenty feet above them. "This might sound mad, but I want you to hit only Gina or me. You hit anyone else, your chances go down. Got that?"

And it all became clear. It would test their aim, and it would also test Gina's dodging skills. Marlene's head was in a daze - _sort it out, Dearborn, you dolt, sort it out_ - she needed a strategy - already, the others were sizing up each other, and waiting for the Bludger to be let loose - and then it hit her. Teamwork. Thinking quickly, she turned to Ed. "I know Gina's flying."

He nodded. "So I'll take her. You take James."

"Got it."

And so they were the first to shoot off the ground. Marlene sped towards James, watching the crooked grin form on his face as he guessed her strategy. Really, she reflected, this would be almost too easy. She and Ed knew each other too well - even if they'd been awful Beaters, their partnership would be a boon to any team. She caught sight of a red blur, and swerved off-track. In a matter of seconds, she'd singled Ed out, and she whammed the Bludger straight towards him. Being a Beater wasn't just a question of force; it was thinking and control. If your team controlled the Bludger, you were safe. A great deal of calculation went into Marlene's every stroke, and this one was no exception. James had been so sure that Marlene was his tail that he didn't even notice Ed aiming for him; he was too busy frowning at Marlene's miss. The moment it caught his leg, and he teetered away, she zoomed in chase of the wild Bludger again. All eyes were on the Captain when she reached it; she knew he wasn't hurt at all, though, just a little surprised. Another careful shot, and it whooshed at Gina, hitting her thigh.

"Tag," Marlene crowed.

"You're it!" Ed finished.

"McKinnon, Dearborn," James said, grinning ear-to-ear, "welcome back to the team."

All in all, Lily reflected, it had been a most satisfying Saturday. She walked arm-in-arm with her three best friends towards the Great Hall, thoughts of dinner - and more specifically, pudding - swirling around in her head.

"I heard Potter picked that Dearborn girl even though she only hit a thigh," a boy was saying as they reached the Entrance Hall. She opened her mouth to say something, feeling Marlene tense beside her.

"Take that back, you nasty little twat," Mary snarled, surprising everyone. "You're a Ravenclaw anyway - you weren't even there."

The boy in question, a fifth-year, started at this, quailing slightly under the legendary Mary Macdonald's fierce glare. "I didn't mean-"

"Rot," interrupted Mary, actually taking her wand out. "She was brilliant. Besides, everyone knows if she'd actually hit anyone, it'd do more harm than good, dolt."

"Cool it, Mac," said Marlene serenely. "What's got you wound up so tight anyway?"

Lily thought she saw a flash of guilt cross her friend's face before she answered. "Nothing. He was bashing you, Marlene, you heard him."

"No need to get so mad. I get it a lot, what with being fabulous and all."

Mary visibly relaxed at Marlene's light tone. As they took their seats at the Gryffindor table, Lily thought she wasn't the only one keeping secrets. She'd nearly been discovered as it was...

"Lily," a voice said, startling her from her thoughts.

"Oh. Hello." She set down her fork nervously.  
Enter her big secret.

"Terry," she said, looking up at him. Terry Jones smiled at her. Ah, that smile. Lily thought she would swoon, and then she wanted to smack herself for that thought.

"Will you think about what I asked you earlier?" he asked, his cornflower-blue eyes twinkling at her in earnest.

She nodded slowly, aware of Mary, Gina, and Marlene watching her every move. "I'll think about it."

"Okay." He kissed her on the forehead. In retrospect, that was probably the wrong thing to do, because it set off the ticking time bomb that was Mary Macdonald.

"LILY EVANS, _HOW COULD YOU?_" she shrieked. "YOU AND TERRY JONES – _AGAIN_? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL _ME_!"

The entire Great Hall stopped what they were doing, and stared.

"Don't mind her," said Lily quickly. "Sorry."

"They were going to find out anyway," Terry said easily, gesturing to the hall at large.

"Yeah." Relief knotted her tongue; there was a strange feeling in her stomach too. "Listen, maybe this isn't the best time to talk."

"I'd say so. Tomorrow morning?" She nodded, and he waved before turning around and going back to his table.

"Merlin," said Gina, stretching out the word so it had about a thousand syllables.

"My thoughts exactly," Marlene nodded.

"How-"

"Not here," she said shortly. "I'll tell you in the dorm. And you." She rounded on Mary. "What don't you know about him? I thought you were going to spout off his birthday too-"

"I know that, it's December 29th," said Mary helpfully. "Now you can plan his present in advance."

"This conversation is closed till after dinner!" Lily said loudly as Marlene opened her mouth. "I was hoping the entire school didn't find out the same time as you lot."

"I knew it," whispered Mary triumphantly. "I knew you couldn't stay single - ha! Acting suspicious all day! When did this begin – or, restart, I suppose?"

"Last May," she said, blushing scarlet.

Marlene gave a low whistle. "And you haven't said a word?"

"I didn't know where we stood-"

"That's rubbish," put in Gina. "You didn't tell us about your boyfriend - I'm furious at you!"

"I promise I'll give you all the details to make up for it," Lily sighed. "Just not now."

She could feel people's eyes on her as she ate, taking half the fun out of the pudding. She could just imagine what the gossips would be saying: _bagged one of the most eligible bachelors _again_, did that Evans girl - and a brilliant Keeper to boot_. She fixed her eyes on the back of his head at the Ravenclaw table, smiling faintly at a buried memory. Ridiculously enough, they'd met at the library the previous year. She'd wanted a book that he'd borrowed, and they'd had long-winded conversations about it after she'd read it – terrible cliché, yes. And somewhere between exchanging Muggle classics and laughing about his intense dislike for Scarlett O'Hara, she'd noticed the way his cornflower-blue eyes made her stomach turn backflips. Lily was never one to deny the obvious, which was that she was slowly and sweetly falling for Terry Jones. They'd gone out for almost the whole of fifth year, and then along came Danielle bloody Hooper. She'd been sorry to end it, but, well, she couldn't just let the Danielle Hooper business go on. And then he'd come back to her, full of the right things to say. She wanted it to work out, she wanted it so badly – and all he wanted was a chance, right? Surely that wouldn't be too bad…

To be honest, she had wanted to keep it a secret, like a little bubble for just the two of them. Of course, she would have told everyone eventually, but it had been so... romantic, having clandestine meetings, discreet smiles, and stolen kisses. Those things weren't like Lily, and she'd treasured that funny feeling of having it entirely to herself. Terry was so easy to be around - not annoying, not sarcastic, not arrogant, not boastful. He was, she thought, scraping up the last of her pudding, just about perfect. He was _right_ for her. Putting her spoon down, Lily glanced at her friends.

"Done?" she asked.

"Nearly," Marlene replied, gulping down her pumpkin juice. "All the pre-tryouts stress is finally gone."

Gina nodded, her mouth too full to say anything. Swallowing loudly, she said, "It's a wonderful feeling, success."

"How philosophical," Mary sighed, rolling her eyes. "Now, please eat. I want to hear about Terry Jones, part two."

"Like you don't know everything already."

"I don't know anything in relation to _last May_. Although, I would if she'd bothered to mention it."

Lily smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Doesn't matter now. Hurry up, Gee, you'll explode if you eat anymore."

Gina dropped her fork, sighing contentedly. "Right, let's move."

Lily jumped up, moving towards the stairs. "Oh, Remus, we're on patrol tonight, right?" she asked, pausing in front of the Marauders.

"Yeah, meet you in the corridor," he said.

"Okay." She gave him a little smile, and then it struck her that the Marauders didn't look very pleased. James had a hard mask on, and Sirius seemed greatly annoyed at something. Even Remus seemed a little rueful. Peter was as blank as ever.  
Lily hurried away, biting her lip.

_"Talk myself out of falling in love_  
_Falling in love with you"_  
Green Day, "Oh Love"

James had been in a lot of bad moods in his seventeen years, and he could honestly say that this was on the worse end of the 'bad' scale. He paced the room furiously after dinner, which drove Remus down to the Common Room. Peter joined him, babbling something about Potions homework. Soon enough, it was only him and Sirius.

"D'you want me to hex you?" Sirius asked suddenly.

"I - what? No."

"You could hex me back. Pour out some of that anger."

James did not even smile.

"Oh, Prongs, just start shouting." Sirius lay back on his bed. "Go on. Rage a little."

He opened his mouth, waiting for the familiar tirade to come. But he shut it again. "I'm out of things to say."

"Out? Aren't you going to talk about how you despise her?"

"It isn't working."

"Rubbish. That's the best remedy."

"And I've been trying it for three years!" James said loudly, which seemed to please Sirius.

"There we go. Let it out, mate."

He just made a half-strangled noise of frustration, and threw a pillow at his friend.

"Oi, that's not very grateful of you."

"Why is it not working? Is there really nothing else I can say about her?"

"You could always say her hair looks repulsive," offered Sirius.

James pondered this. "But I like her hair."

Sirius snorted. "Listen to yourself."

"I'm pathetic." He sighed, flopping onto his stomach and trying to understand the mysterious pattern on his quilt his mother had stitched.

"You are. Here, take the map. Make yourself useful."

He took the scrap of parchment, waving his wand over it. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Unfolding it, he peered at the little dots. There he was, James Potter, with Sirius Black, in the boys' dorms. _She_ was in the girls' dorms. He quickly looked away. "Rhiannon's moved on," he told Sirius.

"Fortescue?"

"Yeah - how many Rhiannons have you shagged?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"You've got a point. She appears closely entangled with a -" James paused to read the map, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "A William Sanders."

"Oh. Him. That's a change for the worse. For her, that is."

"Is that so?" James smirked.

"Single suits me."

"You've always been single. You don't date, Padfoot."

He waved a hand. "Unnecessary attachment."

"Merlin." James examined the map again. "Oho, could it be that Filch is having a rendezvous with Madam Pomfrey?"

Sirius laughed. "Poppy and Filch? Not likely."

"And there's all my hopes dashed," James said, sighing theatrically. "I just wanted them both to be happy." There was a short silence.

"Food." Sirius sat up suddenly.

"You possessed, Padfoot?"

"We haven't paid a visit to the kitchens. Why don't we get a feast to go with your lovesick, sleepless night?"

James kicked him lightly. "I am _not_ lovesick."

Sirius just grinned. Armed with the Map, James spread the Invisibility Cloak over them, and they slipped out of the Common Room. They snuck through the corridors, finally reaching the fruit basket painting. James furtively tickled the pear, which giggled madly, and allowed them down to the kitchens.

By the time they returned to their dorm, it was past midnight, and most certainly past curfew. Neither of them worried, knowing that the Gryffindor Prefects were on patrol. James and Sirius half-stumbled into the Common Room, heads swirling a little with drink. James had almost forgotten why he'd agreed to go down to the kitchens. Almost. But the Hogwarts secret stash of Firewhiskey wasn't all that bad, even if it wasn't the most potent kind he'd tasted. They staggered up the stairs, each supporting the other. But both of them were sober enough to see what was wrong about their dorm - and it was not the fact that Ed and Peter weren't inside it.

_CLEANSED._

It took James a moment to fully process the word. For a moment, he felt a terror that he would only ever feel once more in his life. For a moment, his heart stopped. But then he realised that all of them - him, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Ed - were purebloods. He hated himself for his immediate relief.

And then it occurred to him. Had they 'cleansed' other dorms yet? Was it only theirs? Or were there more red-lettered signs in rooms all down the corridor? Had they been to the girls' dorms too?

_"Merlin,"_ Sirius said, all traces of giddiness gone.

"The Map!" James yanked the Marauders' Map from his pocket, hastily reciting the incantation. Sirius lit his wand, and they both frantically searched for the dot labelled Minerva McGonagall.

"I don't see her," murmured Sirius at last.

"Right," said James, stuffing the Map back into his pocket. "So we'll go see Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore," Lily said the moment she saw it.

Remus nodded. "I know where his office is."

"You do?"

"Been in it."

"Oh. Right." Throwing one last look over her shoulder, Lily ran after Remus.

It was supposed to be a normal patrol, the sort where she and her partner would aimlessly wander the corridors, wands lit, until they deemed it time to leave. Sometimes, this was punctuated by a run-in with a snogging couple - there had been a very nasty incident once with Sirius Black and a broom cupboard - but patrols were mostly boring. She and Remus had been roaming around the loneliest corridors, because it was a Saturday night, and all sorts of things went on there. And there, right on the stone wall, was the same writing from the Common Room, red and awfully like blood. Lily had wordlessly read the message. It was short, and to the point: _IT STARTS TONIGHT._

There was no doubt in her mind as to what that meant. She sped along the corridors now, her brain on high alert. She imagined her heartbeat echoing through the silent stone halls of Hogwarts, pounding like a bass drum. The hall ended in a statue, she realised as she overtook Remus. She was so busy thinking that she ran straight into - thin air?

Lily stumbled backwards, staring incredulously in front of her. She'd felt the impact, and she was sure she hadn't run into the wall - it wasn't as hard as that. In fact, it had been soft, rather like a cloak... On impulse, Lily reached out and snatched at the air, grabbing when she found cloth. For a moment, she had a tug-o'-war with nothing, trying to yank the cloth away.

"Hang on, Lily," Remus said suddenly. "Stop-"

But then a familiar, disembodied voice said, "All right, Evans, don't tear my Cloak!"

"Potter?" Lily blinked in confusion. James and Sirius seemed to appear from nowhere, and then it dawned on her. "You've got an Invisibility Cloak!"

"So I've heard," he said, folding up the Cloak in question. "What are you doing here?" he asked, just as Remus said, "Why are you here at this hour?"

"We needed to see Dumbledore," Lily replied; at the same time, Sirius said, "Visiting old Dumbledore."

Both parties stared at each other.

"Stories later," Lily said finally. "D'you know how to get in?"

"Sure," James replied confidently. "Just think of some sweets - er, Cockroach Clusters," he added, addressing the gargoyle. Nothing happened.

Shrugging, Sirius said, "Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties... Sugar Quills..."

"Acid Pops," put in Remus. Still nothing.

"Bertie Botts' Every Flavoured Beans," Lily tried.

"No, he doesn't like those," James said enigmatically. "Ice Mice! Pepper Imps!"

"Fizzing Whizbees! Droobles Best Blowing Gum!" Sirius said. Still nothing. He swore colourfully at the gargoyle, which had the same effect.

In a sudden burst of inspiration, Lily shouted, "Toothflossing Stringmints!"

A stone staircase descended around the gargoyle, and Lily walked around the statue, which was blinking irritably.

"Do you know what time it is?" it asked crossly.

"Perfectly well," she answered. "Are you lot coming?" She looked over her shoulder at the three Marauders. They were blinking at her in puzzlement, and, she realised belatedly, a little awe. They followed after a moment, and together, the four Gryffindors knocked on the door to Dumbledore's study. The door opened almost instantly, and the Headmaster beamed at them.

"Ah. Miss Evans, Mr. Potter, Mr. Lupin, and Mr. Black. I thought I heard someone slandering the gargoyle. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"There are more messages," Lily said. "Like the ones in the Common Room on our first day back."

His smile instantly faded. "I see. Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, if you would go rouse Professor McGonagall?"

Remus and Sirius nodded, vanishing down the staircase. Dumbledore then turned to James and Lily, and gestured to his table. "Please, take a seat, and we can discuss this issue."

They sat, and told him everything. James even sounded a little guilty for sneaking out, Lily thought in amusement. She pushed the thought away. Now was not the time for jokes.

After they were done, Dumbledore nodded slowly. "The situation has worsened. Take me to the messages, if you would?"  
Lily scraped her chair back and led Dumbledore and James to the message on the sixth floor corridor. It hadn't changed at all, glistening horribly in the light from their wands. James shuddered, and even Dumbledore's calm snapped for a moment; Lily saw worry flash across his lined face.

"The other one's in Gryffindor Tower," James said, breaking the silence. So they walked in that direction. The edges of Lily's mind seemed to be going numb. If they had started on the sixth-year girls' dorms too - Mary - but she couldn't think about that. It wasn't possible. And if she'd been there, if she hadn't been on patrol... Stop, she commanded herself as they approached the Fat Lady. She was in a real state, wailing and sobbing into her hands.

_"Gurdyroot,"_ said Dumbledore quietly, and she looked up.

"Headmaster," she whispered. "This is terrible, terrible, terrible!"

"I know," he said kindly. "Do calm yourself."

"It's beginning!" the Fat Lady screeched. "You-Know-Who's going to murder us all!"

Just then, McGonagall climbed out of the portrait-hole, her stern face unusually pale. "Two students are missing," she told Dumbledore without any preamble. "Edward McKinnon, and-"

"Peter," James said, going white as a sheet. McGonagall rounded on him instantly.

"Potter, you are not to leave the Tower. The teachers will find the boys. There is no need to be involved. At all." She fixed him with a shrewd gaze. "Do you hear me?"

James nodded, but he seemed dazed. "But they're both purebloods - why-"

"Miss Evans, make sure Mr. Potter isn't out of your sight."

Lily blinked. Somehow, amidst all the chaos and terror in her mind, there was still a part of her that groaned at babysitting James Potter. But something in his face - a strange vulnerability - told her that for once, he needed protecting. "Yes, Professor." The fact that he did not even look at her after hearing this reinforced her theory. Lily felt a little uneasy; if this could throw off the Marauders' ringleader, how terrified were the others?

"Albus - we must hurry," McGonagall was saying, and Lily realised they had been dismissed.

_"Gurdyroot,"_ she told the Fat Lady. "Come on, Potter."

Almost meekly, he followed her into the Common Room. The sight stopped her right in her tracks. It was worse than after they won the Quidditch Cup - it seemed like the whole house had huddled together in that one room. Students were shouting, sobbing, screaming... Lily wanted to cover her ears. Do something, she told herself. She was just about to yell for silence, when she heard James say _"Sonorus"_, holding his wand to his throat.

"Listen up," he said softly, except it came out as "LISTEN UP!" Half the room shut up at that, and the other half cringed at how loud he was. "YOU LOT ARE REAL GITS. WE'RE GRYFFINDORS, FOR MERLIN'S SAKE! BRAVE AT HEART! THERE ARE TWO BLOODY MISSING STUDENTS, AND YOU'RE SITTING HERE CRYING? JUST SHUT THE-"

Lily elbowed him at this point. "Right, I want to see everyone below the age of fifteen back in their beds. Now. We're all awake, nothing's going to happen!" For a moment, she was afraid no one would listen to her. Lying through her teeth worked, though, and students drifted back to their dorms in groups. Now that only fifth-years up were in the Common Room, there was pin-drop silence. "You lot, stand in every corridor in pairs. I don't want to see anyone alone." She caught sight of Marlene, looking like she'd seen a ghost. Her heart ached for her friend, and she wished she could hold her and comfort her, but she had responsibilities. Hesitating a moment, Lily slipped into the dissipating crowd, hugged Marlene quickly, and then returned to her place in front of the portrait-hole. A handful of sixth- and seventh-years remained, all their wands out.

"What do we do?" Freddie Markham, a seventh-year, asked her.

"Watch the portrait-hole," she replied. "And wait."

Sirius and Remus came running down the stairs then, thrusting a piece of parchment into James's hands. "Dropped it when we saw the message," Sirius explained. "We haven't checked it yet. Go on."

Lily wondered what they were on about. She couldn't stop herself from inching closer - but she couldn't get a good enough view of the parchment. James muttered something, and the three of them stood silently for a moment.

Then: "Found Ed," Remus said. "Right there, near the Gamekeeper's cottage."

"Where's Wormtail, then?" Sirius asked, looking like he wanted to tear the parchment into little shreds. "I don't see him anywhere."

"You don't look well enough, Padfoot," James said, but Lily could see the tiniest frown on his forehead.

"I do. Can you see him?"

"Shut up, both of you," Remus put in. "Thought I saw him just now..."

"Where?" Sirius demanded.

"In the Charms corridor - but why would he be there..."

"There!" yelped Sirius. "Right there, in that old disused classroom! Prongs, we have to get him-"

"Hang on," Lily interrupted. "He's not allowed to leave Gryffindor Tower."

"Doesn't matter, it's Wormtail-"

"McGonagall's orders."

"But Wormtail, and Ed!"

Lily hesitated. "All right, you and Remus go get Ed. But tell a teacher on the way. And you," she turned to James, "can only get Peter if you promise not to leave my sight."

"I'd be happy to never leave your sight," said James, but it sounded a little halfhearted.

Before they left, they named Freddie Markham and Julie Welsh in charge. When they slipped out of the portrait-hole, James pulled out the thick Cloak he'd worn before. "Just in case," he explained, throwing it over himself and her.  
Everything shimmered a little through the Cloak, but otherwise, Lily could see quite clearly. She started forward, but James said, "Stop. It'll be stupid if we're discovered because someone sees shoes walking without bodies. We need to move together, and quietly."

"Where'd you get this Cloak?" Lily whispered as they tiptoed down the hall.

"It was my father's. Passed through my family for generations."

She couldn't help but feel a little impressed at that. "I've never heard of Cloaks that last that long."

"Yeah. This one's got no Disillusionment Charms. It's an Invisibility Cloak, plain and simple. And it's never failed me."

Lily realised that she'd just discovered the key to the Marauders' nighttime strolls. She'd always assumed they planned their escapades so that they didn't run into a teacher, but this was far more... simple. It was almost like a shortcut, like cheating. All they needed was this Cloak and a bit of caution. She looked down the long Charms corridor, which was starting to look a thousand times creepier than it did during the day. "Which classroom is it?"

"Two doors down, I reckon," James whispered.

Lily tried to nod, but the top of her head collided with James's chin. They both gasped, swearing softly. "Sorry," Lily muttered.

"You've got hidden depths, Evans," said James. "I didn't know you could swear."

"Oh, ha ha..."

"This is the one."

Holding her breath, Lily led the way into the classroom. It was eerily silent, and pitch-black. Her heart was beating somewhere in her mouth - what if they'd cursed Peter? What if they'd tortured him? Or what if they'd _killed_ him, and his corpse lay on the ground... _No, don't think stuff like that..._

"I'm taking the Cloak off on three," James whispered. "Light your wand as soon as I do."

"Okay," Lily replied.

"One, two, three!"

As soon as the warm Cloak fell to the ground, Lily felt exposed, a stray draft making her shiver. Her heart was somewhere in her nasal passage, her nerves tight with anticipation. _"Lumos maxima!"_ she said, and her wand lit up with a blinding white light. Somehow, the light only seemed to highlight the eerie shadows in the room. It seemed mostly empty, except for a cupboard - was that a cupboard? She couldn't tell. Her eyes were still adjusting, and she couldn't see anything that looked like a person... Something moved, and Lily jumped, suddenly back-to-back with James. To his credit, he didn't comment on it.

"Wormtail, is that you?" he asked, and Lily flinched at the way it echoed. "Come out!"

The light from her wand picked out a strange shadow - like something unfolding itself, a person straightening up - _"James,"_ Lily hissed, forgetting in her panic that they were not on first-name terms.

"It's all right."

"It isn't! Do you see that... _thing_?" She raised a hand, pointing at the shadow. Her heartbeat was pounding like drum in her ears - surely James could hear it too. The thing was stirring, turning - oh, _Merlin_, it looked almost like a werewolf - but she realised it wasn't, but no less awful. It made a strange noise, rather like a guttural croak. And it was turning, walking towards them-

* * *

**A/N:** So, here it is. Sorry, AMomentOfEternity, if this chapter is too long for your taste, and thanks a bunch for your review!

Reviews are Jily back-to-back-and-first-name moments,

Love,

Tessa


	4. Sixteen and Fighting

**Copyright JK Rowling. Cover art belongs to the amaaaazing viria13 on deviantart.**

**A/N: **Sorry, I know I took way too long for this one! It was just gathering dust for a really long time, and then there was this huge issue with rereading - never mind. It's up now. Sorry again! Thanks, and a massive hug to my awesome beta reader, Paige!

* * *

3. Sixteen and Fighting

"_Some things, you have to believe_

_But others are puzzles, puzzling me"_

Coldplay, "Speed of Sound"

It was turning towards them.

"It's all right," James whispered, praying his hunch was right. Merlin, if the Death Eaters had let some Dark creature loose in Hogwarts… But slowly, the shadow was starting to look familiar. James quickly stepped in front of Lily to block her view. She didn't protest. The rush of adrenaline swamped him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Peter silhouetted against Lily's wand light. He looked scared, and almost normal - except for a long slash running down his cheek, which was bleeding a thin stream of red. James reached out involuntarily, pulling his hand back at the last moment.

"You all right, Wormtail?" he asked. Peter ignored him, which only worried James more.

"Where am I?" Peter whimpered, hugging himself. James thought he'd never looked more like his Animagus form. "I was in the dorm... before..."

"Before what?" Lily asked slowly, still gripping her wand and looking a little stunned.

"I decided I should go out - I knew it wasn't safe to go without the map, but I decided to..." He trailed off, looking confused.

And suddenly, it hit James. "Imperius curse," he muttered, grabbing Peter's arm. "Come on, Wormtail." They didn't bother with the Cloak this time, running as fast as possible with Wormtail tagging along. James wove through the corridors easily, thanking - well, thanking himself for gruelling Quidditch training. He jerked to a stop by the hospital wing, hearing hushed noises inside.

"What is it?" Lily hissed.

"There's someone inside - McGonagall," James replied, recognising her voice.

"I'll take Peter inside. You stay here, and make sure she doesn't see you." Without waiting for an answer, she took a dazed Peter by the arm, pulling him through the double doors. James pressed himself flat against the wall, straining to overhear their conversation.

"Miss Evans!" McGonagall said in surprise. "What-"

"Professor, I found Peter," Lily said. "I think they Imperiused him to make him leave the dorm."

There was a momentary silence. "Imperius, I see."

"Come on, in bed with you!" Madame Pomfrey said, no doubt chivvying Peter into a bed. "Professor, he's in no condition to do any talking tonight."

"Can you tell if he's been Imperiused?" asked Lily.

"I can't be sure yet... What did he say to you?"

"He said he decided to leave... that he knew it wasn't a good idea, but he decided to anyway."

"That sounds like what Edward McKinnon said. Both of them must've been cursed to vacate the dormitory..." McGonagall trailed off. "Miss Evans, if you're here, who is watching Mr Potter?"

"Remus Lupin," replied Lily unerringly. James hid a smile; being a good girl was a waste of her natural talents. "Professor, they'll be all right, won't they?"

"Of course," McGonagall said briskly. "A few days of recuperation, and they'll be fine. Now, get to bed, Miss Evans. The teachers will be patrolling the corridors, and I doubt we will see more of these messages tonight."

"Yes, Professor."

A moment later, Lily stepped out of the hospital wing. They walked in silence, yet in synchronicity to their Common Room's portrait. The Fat Lady seemed to have recovered from her hysterics, hiccoughing a little. Teartracks led down from her eyes to her pudgy chin, and she was furiously rubbing them and blinking.

_"Gurdyroot,"_ James said, and the portrait swung open to admit them. The Common Room was empty, except for Sirius and Remus sitting on the couch.

"Is he all right?" Sirius asked the moment they entered.

"I'm going, then," Lily said.

"Thanks for letting me out," said James. She nodded.

"No problem." And she disappeared up the staircase.

"He's fine," James told them. "At least, McGonagall reckons he will be. A few days in the hospital wing, and he should be good as new."

His friends visibly relaxed. "To bed, then?" Sirius suggested.

Remus sighed. "I don't think I can sleep there."

"True, that." James pulled out a pack of Exploding Snap. "Might as well gamble the night away."

Grinning, Sirius shuffled the pack of cards. "I can't wait to ruin you all..."

Remus rolled his eyes. "You win on luck, Padfoot. I, on the other hand, have the ability trick you out of all your money."

"None of that when I'm around," James put in. And so, they played Exploding Snap all night, the bangs from the cards filling in the hole left by Peter.

Almost.

_"There's a cold war coming__  
__On the radio I heard"_  
Coldplay, "Life in Technicolor ii"

Sunday morning was chilly, the wind nipping at Lily's cheeks the way no September wind ought to. She was waiting in the courtyard for Mary, who had permission to visit the hospital wing. Marlene, of course, had run off at the crack of dawn, dragging Gina and Mary with her. Apparently, they'd decided Lily needed 'rest' after the trying events of the previous night, because she'd slept undisturbed until eleven thirty. Even then, she'd only woken up because Isabel had poked her, saying, "Lily, your toast is getting cold." She'd dressed as slowly as possible, yawning through her shower. Mad nighttime gallivanting really was exhausting; she wondered how the Marauders managed it on a daily basis.

Isabel told her that no one was allowed to see Ed and Peter without permission, and that Mary had promised to pick her up. This was a little annoying, seeing that Lily had been instrumental in getting a hold on Peter. She kicked at the ground irritably, drawing her scarf tighter around her neck. _Bloody wind_, she thought grumpily. Maybe she was in shock, and her body was trying to shut down instead of dealing with it. Lily supposed it was possible.

"Lil!" Lily turned to see Mary waving at her from inside. "Come on!"

"Finally!" she said, joining her friend. "It's freezing out there."

"Well, who asked you to wait there?" Mary returned.

"Never mind me. How're Ed and Peter?"

"Doing well. They're both talking and acting normal, although they seem mildly zombie-like." Mary peered at her closely. "Rather like you. You look... peaky."

Lily snorted. "Yes, you try running around school with Potter at ungodly hours."

"Must've been a trying time." Mary grinned, and pushed open the doors to the hospital wing. "It's only me, don't get your panties in a bunch!" she called. The hospital wing was empty, save for the Marauders, Ed, Marlene, and Gina.

"Never fear, our panties aren't bunched, Mac," Ed replied, smiling. He looked pale and drawn, but on the whole, quite all right.

"I dunno, Ed," Sirius said. "Mine might be. Wanna check for me, Mac?"

Mary rolled her eyes. "Puh-_lease_. I have it on good authority that your panties-"

"Too much information!" Remus shouted, covering the rest of her sentence. "We may be best mates, but there are some things even best mates don't talk about."

"Yes," said James, sounding shaken. "The subject of panties is revealed on a need-to-know basis, and we most definitely do _not_ need to know." He turned to look at the bed near him. "Hey, I think Wormtail's nodded off."

"We were probably boring him, what with all the dull talk of panties," joked Gina.

"My panties are not dull!" Sirius protested, which prompted more yells from Remus and James.

"Ahem, talk of panties aside," Lily said, "are you feeling better, Ed?"

"Tired, that's all," he replied.

She hesitated a little before asking, "Do you... remember anything?"

"Well... I remember Remus leaving for patrol... And then Peter said something about leaving, and I thought I'd take a stroll, you know? I hung around there, until Sirius and Remus found me. I can't believe I didn't realise I was under the Imperius."

Marlene shook her head fiercely. "You can't blame yourself for that."

"It's true, though. I'd make a great Auror, wouldn't I?" he said bitterly. No one knew what to say to that.  
"What do you think will happen?" Mary asked after a moment, breaking the silence. Her tone was light and casual, but Lily could hear the worry underneath. She glanced at her friend, but Mary looked as suave as usual. On the outside. If the attackers had begun with the girls' dorms, she and Mary would've been... what? Tortured? Killed? It didn't bear thinking about.

"Life will go on," Gina said solemnly. "Just you wait."

"So we forget?" asked Sirius ridiculously. "They cursed Ed and Peter, broke into Gryffindor Tower-"

"I'm not saying we forget. All I'm saying is that after a while, the memory will start to fade, and life will go on, unless it... You know. Unless it happens again." They all exchanged glances. "But they'll double protection, I'm sure..."

"With what?" James scoffed. "Ghosts?"

"Aurors," Marlene said suddenly.

"Are we saying random words now?" Sirius asked, lounging back in his chair. _"Mimbulus mimbletonia."_

"_No_. My cousin Caradoc is an Auror. He said they were recruiting twice as fast now, just in case. And that all Aurors were on high alert. They're strengthening the ranks, see? We'll get Aurors for protection!"

"Would you place a bet on that?"

"I would," she said. "I _bet_ they'll send a whole lot of them here."

There was a pause after that, Marlene's words sinking into all of them. Lily's mind swam - Aurors for protection? If that was true, it would mean they were in greater danger than the teachers let on.

"At least we'll be together," James offered. Glancing at her friends, Lily realised that was just about the only comfort she had. She felt like someone had opened the safe gates of Hogwarts, and crammed the real world into it, driving all of them into corners.

"We'll have to live through a war," Gina whispered, and everyone heard her unsaid words:_ if we do live through it at all_.

Lily remembered what she'd told Alice: _eighteen and married_. What would she be, sixteen and fighting? She glanced up at the high, vaulted ceiling of the hospital wing. Hogwarts was impenetrable. They were secure here... weren't they? Madame Pomfrey bustled in just them, glaring at them all. "Didn't I say you should leave in fifteen minutes half an hour ago?"

Guiltily, Marlene hopped off the corner of Ed's bed. "Sorry, Madame Pomfrey. We'll leave now."

"You ought to," she scolded. "Not letting my patients rest..."

"Get some sleep," Marlene was saying, smiling at Ed.

"I'm not dead, Mars," he laughed. "I'll be fine, okay?"

"I know, I know." She squeezed his hand, which surprised them, and everyone else in the wing. Lily was overwhelmed by the sudden urge to shake her friend and yell at her about how perfect they were for each other - but she shook it off, settling for a rueful smile. _Stupid, stupid Marlene, _she thought. "See you?"

He smiled, and waved her away. Lily, Gina, and Mary said their goodbyes, leaving to the sound of the Marauders pleading with Madame Pomfrey for a few extra minutes.

"No, boys," she was saying, the hospital wing doors swinging shut behind Lily. "What will you do watching him sleep anyway?"

Grinning, Lily turned to her friends. "Lunch?"

"I'm starved," Gina replied. "Hey, Marlene, you all right?"

Marlene shook off her slightly dazed frown. "I'll be fine."

Mary rolled her eyes at Lily. "_Daft_," she mouthed. Lily knew exactly what she meant.

"What're you going to do about Snape, Lil?" Gina asked as the girls headed to lunch on Monday morning.

The question caught Lily by surprise. "There's nothing to do," she said, avoiding the question.

"Please, we aren't stupid," scoffed Marlene. "We all know you miss him, and you want to be friends again."

"But I can't just forgive him!" she protested. Gina, Mary, and Marlene exchanged glances. Lily got the feeling they'd been waiting to talk about this for a while.

"You forgave Terry Jones, I see," Mary pointed out. "As much as I dislike Snape, fighting with him really upsets you, Lil. And that upsets me. Although it's entirely up to you-"

"And we all think, deep down, that you're better off without him," Gina chimed in.

"But being friends with him made you happy, yeah?"

"Well, he's my oldest friend," Lily said doubtfully. "I don't know what to do."

She was glad her best friends were understanding enough to know when to drop the subject like they did then.

"I've got a free period now," Marlene said. "Who else?"

"Me," said Lily. "Only these two take Divination, remember?" She grinned at Gina and Mary. They were the only Gryffindors in their year who'd chosen NEWT level Divination, which was a waste of time in most people's opinion.

"All right, we've heard all you have to say on the subject," Gina said, as they came to the Great Hall. "So drop it now."

"It's ridiculous, though." Marlene flopped into her seat, immediately tackling the chicken.

"Boy, are you in a hurry," Hannah said, watching her. She had a teasing smile on her face, and it was obvious that she was only trying to be friendly. Marlene gave her a scathing eye-roll. Looking hurt, Hannah turned back to her food. Feeling bad for the girl, Lily said, "So, Hannah, what's America like?"

She brightened instantly. "Oh, it isn't all that different. I mean, we talk different, and spell different, but it isn't like we're different species, right?"

Lily smiled. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Although your Ministry seems stronger," she continued. "I saw an official patrolling the fifth floor only a while ago..."

Marlene jerked up. "An official?"

"Yeah - what do you call them? Aurors?"

"I told you so!" she said triumphantly. "They're here for protection - they must've only just got here!"

"Is it because of what happened last night?" Hannah asked hesitantly.

"Probably," Lily answered. Hannah shuddered.

"I hope those boys are okay."

Lily crossed her fingers, praying the pretty witch wouldn't say anything about how good-looking Ed was. Luckily, she didn't. "They should be."

"It's really scary. In America, we haven't had anything like this in... the past century, or something."

"Dark times," Gina commented. "Did you see the Prophet today?"

"Didn't get a chance to," Lily said.

"Yeah, well, there's talk about replacing the head of the Auror office."

"Oh? Is it going to be Alastor Moody?" Lily recalled the grim, stocky Auror from Frank and Alice's wedding.

"No - most probably old Rufus Scrimgeour." Several people gasped, and Gina grinned at the effect her words had on the people nearest them. Marlene choked on her pumpkin juice.

"Rufus Scrimgeour?" she repeated, after she'd recovered. "Are you joking? Maybe I shouldn't try to become an Auror..."

"What's wrong with Rufus Scrimgeour?" asked Lily, who'd heard the name before, but couldn't quite place it.

"He's terrifying, is what he is. Stern, business-like, experienced as hell... Shows how scared they really are about You-Know-Who. First they make Barty Crouch Head of Magical Law Enforcement, and now Scrimgeour..." Gina shuddered. "All I can say is, it's going to be bloody awful trying to become an Auror now."

Lily stared at her plate, stabbing at her peas with a fork. She'd dreamed of being an Auror too - of course, she was sure half their class did - and even thought she might manage it, with marks like hers. She'd talked about training to be an Auror with McGonagall, who had encouraged her wholeheartedly. Lily could still remember the words she'd said: "If anyone can do it, it's you, Lily." It had been the only time McGonagall had called her by her first name, in five years. But the way her friends talked about Rufus Scrimgeour... even Marlene, who was a Defence star, had looked apprehensive.

"Come on, Gee, Divination time!" Mary said happily, yanking Gina out of her seat.

"Oh, could I join you?" Hannah asked her. "I've got Divination too."

"You have? How come I never noticed you in class?" Mary laughed lightly. Hannah shrugged. "Well, why not?" And, to everyone's surprise, Mary linked one arm through Gina's, and the other through Hannah's, strutting out of the Hall.

"Mac is mental," Marlene said, shaking her head. Lily just laughed.

"Come on, I've got the Charms essay to finish."

She and Marlene went back up to the Common Room. Lily pulled out her essay on the Aguamenti Charm, but found she wasn't in the mood at all. She glared at it, sitting there innocently on the table, and then she glared at the inviting couch a few feet away. She was going to finish her work. Really. Well, she'd try. The other sixth-years drifted up in twos and threes, all of them as eager to their homework as Lily was.

"We never have any free time," Isabel groaned, spraying a jet of water from her wand into a bucket. "I've got the hang of stupid Aguamenti, only everything else is too hard to start."

"I agree with you completely," Sirius chimed in, taking out a Gobstones set.

"Hey, don't you have work to do?"

"No. All done."

"And who did you pay to do it for you this time?" Isabel teased.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Well, tell her that she can do mine too," Lily called, setting her quill down.

Sirius let out a low whistle. "You giving up, Evans?"

"No, don't do that, I was going to ask you for help," Annika groaned.

"I'm done, you can check against mine." That was James, tossing a scroll of parchment to Annika. She unrolled it, and squinted at it in puzzlement.

"This actually looks like your handwriting."

"That's because I wrote it."

"Really?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," said James solemnly. "Ask Remus."

"Believe it or not," Remus said, not looking up from his own essay.

"What's that stink? Merlin, Potter, you smell like responsibility!" Marlene said, sniffing the air jokingly.

James grinned. "A perfume I wear with pride." That earned him a pillow from Sirius. "Well, what're you waiting for? I don't mind if you borrow phrases."

Tempted, Lily glanced at his parchment out of the corner of her eye. It was the right length, and the lines were straight. His handwriting was too neat to be true. She quickly looked away. She would _not_give in.

"You know you want to, Evans," James said. Evidently, she hadn't looked away quick enough. "And how do I know that idea isn't going to blow up in my face?" she inquired calmly, but a little curiously.

"No strong charms on it," he replied. "Don't worry."

Strong charms. _Charms_. Her spurt of frustration. His hand on hers. Lily went scarlet at the memory. "I meant figuratively."

"Loosen up a little. It won't kill you to refer to my essay." He raised an eyebrow at her. He had been the best at Aguamenti... He should know it best... But Lily shook those thoughts from her mind. James Potter might not have called her a Mudblood. But he was no saint.

"Maybe it will," she said shortly.

"Well, your choice. You don't have to fight this battle," he said, grinning and turning away. _Sixteen and fighting_. But she could've sworn there was something underneath his blasé tone.

Was there?

"Oh, give it here," she sighed, picking the scroll of parchment from the table. Just this once, she told herself. If she weren't so tired, she would write it herself… Lily had to admit that the excuses sounded bad even in her head. "This is only because you've proved your worth in Charms, Mr Outstanding."

James grinned. "Help yourself, darling."

"Don't call me that," Lily snapped. He only laughed. Glaring, she skimmed through his essay. Though she hated to admit it, it was actually really good. It had all the points she'd needed to cover, expanded to two paragraph each... Either Potter had seen her study notes, or, God forbid, they actually thought the same way. Lily read the first few lines, and slowly, the fog in her mind started to clear. It wasn't that hard after all... She bent over her parchment, and began to write, glancing at his essay now and then. For a while, she lost track of the conversation.

"I wonder when Slughorn's next party will be," Isabel was saying. "I'm surprised he hasn't already rallied up the Slug Club." She shuddered. Isabel was notorious for rejecting all of Slughorn's invitations, and 'hanging out' in the Common Room with all the others who hadn't been invited.

"Me too. I've been thinking about it for a while now," said Sirius, much to everyone's surprise.

"And why would you be thinking about it?" Annika asked.

"Concerned student." That got snorts from all around.

"What're you planning?" Marlene sighed.

"Nothing!" he protested.

"Padfoot, you don't fool anyone. Now we'll get caught for sure," James said.

"You just made it even more obvious!"

"It was obvious from the beginning? Who else would do something like that?"

"Like what?" Lily interrupted. Both boys looked at her.

"We're not telling you," Sirius answered. "In fact, we're not talking about it. Prongs?"

James rolled his eyes. "It won't work, Padfoot."

"Silly non-believers. Hard at work there, Dearborn?"

"Shut up, Black" came the reply.

"I thought you were done with your essay, Marlene," Lily said, not really paying attention. She cursed under her breath, crossing out a word. No one said anything. And then it hit her. Lily looked up, from Sirius to Marlene. "You've got to be joking."

"He's paying me in Chocolate Frogs," Marlene explained.

"I discovered her weakness," Sirius chimed in. "And she's the best at imitating my handwriting."

She snorted. "It's hardly legible. It isn't that hard to scribble all over parchment."

"It's neat when he cares, he says," Remus said, laughing.

"Yeah, right," Marlene muttered. Shaking her head, Lily turned back to her dratted essay. Maybe she'd just borrow phrases - Potter didn't mind anyway... She touched her quill to the parchment, pausing for a moment.

"Evans, are you waiting for Christmas?" James said, glancing at her.

"What? Shut up." Distracted, she wound up copying three whole lines. "Damn."

"Want some help?" he asked innocently. She shot him a suspicious glare.

"Hang on." Lily added the last few lines. "I don't think I wrote enough."

He scoffed. "Rot. You write an extra foot every essay. Surely five years' worth of that makes up for writing within the limit this time." Tapping the essay with his wand, he rearranged the sentences she'd copied so they meant the same thing, but didn't look obviously stolen. "Remember when you used to do this for me?"

"Just this once, Potter," she said, rolling up his essay.

"Ah, the good old days," he continued. "When you were smart and I was - well, not as noticeably brilliant as I am now-"

Lily didn't know what came over her. But she smacked him upside the head with his own rolled-up essay. His chair rocked dangerously backwards, making her wonder if she'd actually hurt him. But then she realised he was laughing - shaking so violently with mirth that he was sure to fall off any second. He nearly did, but Sirius pushed his chair upright at the last minute. Lily secretly wished he'd fallen. Gathering her things, she rose to go sit next to Marlene.

"Hey - Evans! Aren't you going to say thank you?"

He was enjoying this. "Thank you," she said through gritted teeth.

"You could repay me with a kiss," he suggested.

He was _really_enjoying this. "Shut up, Potter."

"I'm done!" Marlene announced, tossing a scroll of parchment at Sirius. "Where's my payment, Black?"

"In my secret stash. I'll be right down." He disappeared up the stairs. The bell signalled the end of their free period, and the start of double Defence Against the Dark Arts - with the Slytherins. Lily was starting to think they put the Gryffindors with the Slytherins for the most dangerous classes on purpose. She stood, pulling Marlene up with her, and the sixth-years hurried out of the Common Room. The Gryffindors moved in a group to the Defence classroom.

Their new teacher, Harper, was really good - not her favourite, but she supposed that, like Scrimgeour and Crouch, Gwyneth Harper suited the times. She was a tall, reed-thin woman, who looked rather washed out. Lily had been rather disappointed at the sight of her, but that feeling had gone the moment she'd looked into Professor Harper's eyes. They were brown, nothing spectacular, but they seemed to have some deep knowledge in them, as if they advertised her experience. Harper was brisk and blunt, quick to catch mistakes and excellence alike.

Lily and Marlene met Mary, Gina, and Hannah outside the classroom. Hannah drifted off to talk to Isabel, and Marlene instantly said, "How was Divination?"

Mary grinned. "Good. I _divined _a whole lot out of Hannah Madison."

"And now you're going to ruin her socially?" Lily guessed.

"Of course not! Now, I'm safe."

"As in?"

"She doesn't like blokes."

"Because the ones here are British?" Marlene raised an eyebrow.

"No! She doesn't like _any _blokes!"

"Oh," Marlene said slowly, as the meaning of Mary's words sunk in. _"Oh."_

"But in the Great Hall - at breakfast-" Lily could vividly remember Hannah calling Xavier Meadowes 'yummy'.

"She only said that, because she hadn't decided if we were all right with that 'sort of thing', or not," Mary said earnestly, making air-quotes. "Can you believe it?"

"You aren't going to tell everyone about it, are you?" Lily asked doubtfully.

"No, I won't. I'm not daft, Lil."

"Good to know, because sometimes, I doubt it." Lily grinned at her friend, who smacked her playfully on the shoulder. The classroom door opened just then, revealing Professor Harper.

"Inside," she said curtly. The Gryffindors and Slytherins poured into the huge Defence Against The Dark Arts classroom. As always, Lily craned her neck to look at the high ceiling. She could've sworn it was further away than usual. They'd been practising non-verbal spells in theory for the past week, and the desks had been cleared away today, telling them they'd finally be trying the spells out. To Lily's horror, she was paired with Marlene, which basically meant she'd be making a fool of herself the entire class.

"I want one of you to try and jinx the other, while your opponent tries to defend themselves - without speaking, of course. Begin," said Professor Harper.

"You defend, I'll jinx," said Marlene from several feet away.

Lily snorted. "Yeah, so you can humiliate me?"

"Don't write yourself off, Lil. Ready?" Marlene raised her wand.

Dear God, Lily thought, and then quickly changed that thought to _Protego!_To her surprise, it seemed to work - Marlene's spell had no effect on her. Then again, Marlene could've been doing something wrong. Lily hardly dared to hope.

"Try again," said Lily.

"Okay." There was another pause. Nothing happened. A tiny frown appeared between Marlene's brows. "Why don't I cast verbally so we can see if your shield is working?"

"Good idea."

So Marlene whispered her spell instead. Lily heard it, and braced herself for the familiar wobbly feel of a Jelly-Legs Jinx. But somehow, she was fine. _She was fine!_"I did it!" she said gleefully. "Merlin, I actually did it!"

Marlene laughed. "It isn't that surprising, Lil. You are a bit of a genius."

"But I did it!" Lily grinned. It was a lovely feeling, accomplishment.

"Me next," Marlene said.

She nodded, glancing around the room once to see if anyone else had got the hang of it. Unsurprisingly, James Potter had Sirius dangling by the ankle in midair - well, they both had a lot of practice with that spell, she thought scornfully. But he seemed preoccupied; in fact, he was looking at her. Scowling, Lily looked away. "I won't cast a shield this time," she told Marlene.

"Fine -" Her friend squinted in concentration, and Lily's wand flew from her hand.

"Nice!" She turned to see where her wand had gone, and stopped short. A pale hand with thin, long fingers held it in its grasp, a familiar hand. Lily looked up into Severus's face, those unfathomable black eyes of his. He didn't say anything. She plucked her wand from his fingers. "Thank you," she said curtly, and faced Marlene again.

"Wait - Lily," he began, looking around anxiously. "Can I talk to you?"

"Oh, making sure your mates aren't around, are you?" she said venomously.  
"No-"

But Lily had waited too long to say this. "Don't start on me, Severus Snape," she said. "It's ironic, isn't it, that you're ashamed to be seen with me, considering their reputation." She jerked her chin in the direction of Mulciber and Avery, who were practising on each over on the other side of the room.

"This isn't about them!" Severus said desperately. "I just want to be friends again - for you to forgive me-"

"Maybe I will," Lily replied. Hope bloomed in his face, and, remembering their OWLs – "_MUDBLOOD!"_- she took a vindictive pleasure in crushing it. "But not today." She swivelled back to Marlene. "Ready?" And Lily Evans Stunned the best Defence Against the Dark Arts student in their year, without a single word.

_"Written in graffiti on a bridge in a park,_

_'Do you ever get the feeling that you're missing the mark?'"_

Coldplay, "Hurts Like Heaven"

Sometimes, James thought he'd die if not for Quidditch. Maybe it was an exaggerated, supremely angst-y teenager-thought, but with the wind caressing his face, and the familiar feel of the Quaffle tucked under his arm, he almost believed it. He was glad he'd managed to get a weekday practice, because he was having a terrible Monday.

Mondays were always bad, knowing a full week of classes were ahead, with no Quidditch in the bearably near future (which was the next ten minutes for him). This was turning out to be worse. Even his weekend had been less than satisfactory. In fact, James was beginning to have a very pessimistic opinion about sixth year in general. Among other things - he ducked a Bludger, well aimed though it was - his tolerant attitude towards Ravenclaws was worsening at the same rate as his week. The small, rarely heeded, rational part of his mind told him it wasn't their fault that they appealed so much to beautiful, redheaded witches, but he blamed them anyway. He thrust the Quaffle savagely towards the goal - it thwacked into Isabel's broom but hardly changed its course - and watched it soar right through the hoop. Isabel spiralled madly before regaining control, scowling at him. He didn't react; he was used to the love-hate relationship he had with his team. Without turning around, he said, "McKinnon, Grady is after the Snitch. WHY ARE YOU NOT REACTING?"

Out of the corner of his eye, James saw Ed race after the Bludger, sending it spinning at Elyse Grady, their Seeker. Sirius flew up to him, shooting him a look. James ignored it.

"Let it out, mate," said Sirius finally.

"We're in the middle of practice, Padfoot," James pointed out tersely.

"Yeah, well, any longer and you're going to kill Bel."

"I don't like Keepers," he muttered, turning away to watch Gina with the Quaffle.

"'Course you don't." Sirius smirked. "They get in the Chasers' way all the time." No one else understood the double meaning in his words.

"Wiser words have never been spoken," called a passing Marlene. "Now, Captain, if we could continue the practice?"

"Absolutely, Dearborn. Everyone, scrimmage is over!" James called. "The ground!" He was the first to touch down on the moist grass. The sky was slowly darkening; soon enough, there would barely be enough light to see two feet in front of you.

Nightfall at Hogwarts was like a Bludger to the head. You didn't see it coming until it hit you.

All around him, the team was dismounting. It had been another gruelling practice, and James's terrible Monday-mood hadn't helped. They were all exhausted, their expressions begging for him to let them go back to the warm Common Room and scalding relief of the showers. So James did what any good captain would do.  
"Right, twenty-five laps of the grounds, and you're free to go," he told them briskly. He didn't wait to watch their dismay, but started his running. Sirius caught up with him soon enough.

"Acute case of Keeper-hatred seems to be getting worse," he observed.

"It isn't just that," James said slowly. "It's the messages too."

His best mate blinked at him in confusion. "The messages?"

"Yeah. Don't you feel like you need to do something? I dunno, find out who's doing them - _something_."

Sirius nodded slowly. "We could always take turns watching the Map every night."

"I suppose." James sighed, and his breath became a white, crystallised puff. Winter was definitely on its way. The muffled thumps of their synchronised footsteps were starting to calm him down. He felt oddly... wound, like twine wrapped over a package. As if he were masked by a a few strings instead of the usual blanket, and that the strings were capable of snapping any moment then. He was going to burst if something didn't happen soon. The tense, warlike atmosphere didn't sit well with him - it was either a war, or it wasn't, and he needed to know which. He turned to look at Sirius. "Don't you want to do something about Tess?" he asked quietly. It was the first time he'd said her name after the Longbottoms' wedding. Though it wasn't the first time Sirius was hearing it _after_, he still flinched.

"I think," Sirius said, "we've had enough talk of feelings to last the next few days. Wouldn't want to damage your reputation, eh?" And, grinning with obviously false cheer, he ran ahead. Shaking his head, James followed.

Twenty-four laps, several ridiculous jokes, and a full dinner later, James and Sirius were strolling up to Gryffindor Tower. Somehow, Sirius had managed to talk James into taking a shortcut, not mentioning that he had no idea where the aforementioned shortcut led. Laughing, James ducked past a statue.

"Honestly, Padfoot, you're going to pay for this," he chuckled. "At this rate, we won't be in our beds until tomorrow."

Sirius opened his mouth to answer, and then froze. "Do you hear that?" he whispered.

"If this is some kind of joke-"

"Shh! It came from here..." Sirius inched around the next corner. Now that James listened carefully, he could hear a hushed conversation. He strained to catch what was being said, but he didn't get more than a few phrases.

"Planning - inform them - ready to begin," a voice was saying quietly. James craned his neck to hear the reply.

"Not yet," someone else answered. "Not until we're sure - the Dark Lord-"

They were so intent on hearing the rest that they hardly noticed the voices getting closer - closer - James yanked Sirius back around the corner. Sirius looked unusually grave; they both realised they'd stumbled upon something important and far beyond them.

"We were coming this way," James mouthed.

Sirius nodded. "Got lost," he mouthed back. It was almost the truth, too.

James composed himself, and sauntered ahead. "Where _are _we, anyway? Damn your shortcuts, Padfoot."

"We know the entire school, Prongs. It's highly improbable that we haven't been here before," Sirius said loudly. They looked around; there was no one in sight. The stone corridor was empty. It was a forlorn stretch of grey walls. Unlike most parts of Hogwarts, it wasn't even decorated with paintings. There were still bare nails dotting the walls where they must've hung once.

"I don't think we have." James inched towards one nail, a splash of colour catching his eye. Sirius followed his gaze.

"Well, if my sense of direction is as perfect as it has always been, Gryffindor Tower should be somewhere this way..."

"Coming." He pulled the fabric off the nail, not even looking at it before shoving it deep into a pocket. They set off along the corridor briskly, talking loudly about how they were starved and wished there was more dinner waiting for them. It was all James could do to keep himself from breaking into a run at the sight of the Fat Lady's huge gilt frame. He was itching to get into their dorm and properly examine the cloth he'd found... And then they'd tell Remus and Peter, and figure out what the conversation had meant.

_"Gurdyroot," _said James. The Fat Lady swung open with a sniff. She hadn't yet forgiven him for his part in forcing her open after the Welcome Feast. The Gryffindor Common Room was the explosion of noise that it always was, the fire crackling merrily. But James turned away, taking the stairs to the boys' dorms two at a time. He barged in, almost tripping over a pile of Charms textbooks and swearing loudly. "Merlin, which idiot put this here?"

"Get in, Prongs!" Sirius shoved him in, shutting the door behind him. "What were you looking at?"

"I found this on a nail in that corridor. The wall around it was warm to touch, and less dusty. Logically, someone must've been there, right?" James rummaged in his pocket.

"Hell, Prongs, when did you become logical? Give it here." Sirius snatched the fabric from them, and they stood over it. It took them hardly a moment to recognise the cloth - for they saw it almost every day. Neither of them said anything for a while.

Then: _"Fuck," _they chorused.

It was wool.

It was green wool, with a single silver thread running through it.

It was dark green wool from a Slytherin scarf.

* * *

**A/N: **I regret nothing.

Reviews are dramatic clues on rusty nails in random corridors!

Happy New Year, everyone; have a fab 2013!

Love,

Tessa


	5. The Tiniest Ember

**Copyright Jo Rowling, I don't own anything here - I wish, haha. Cover art belongs to deviantart user viria13. **

**A/N:** Thanks again to my wonderful beta Paige for reading this in record time, and also flattering me way more than I deserve. Thanks to musingmarauder and AlessanaVargas for reviewing - I'm really glad you liked it! So here it comes.

* * *

4. The Tiniest Ember...  
_"Trying to keep myself away from you  
'Cause you're bad, bad news"_  
Norah Jones, "Happy Pills"

Hogwarts was going good so far, thought Mary as she, Gina, and Hannah climbed up the trapdoor to their Divination class. She'd thought sixth-year would be a terrible bore, what with NEWTs the next year and all, but it was... interesting, to say the least. There had been those awful messages, and the curses on Peter and Ed, but other than that... It was normal. Sort of.  
There was only one niggling question in Mary's mind, and it was one she did not ask herself often.

How come she didn't have a bloke yet?

Yes, she'd given herself the appropriate waiting time post-Xavier, and by now, she would've had another boy already. Maybe even two. She wasn't even waiting for someone else to become available - a situation she'd been in more than once - so what was the problem?

"Settle down," called Professor Daybright, entering the class. Everyone immediately shut up; the best part about being in NEWT-level Divination was that all the students actually cared about the subject. Lily and Marlene might be sceptical, but she thought Divination made use of her natural creativity. She'd always been able to see things inside crystal balls, but she'd never told anyone, because that sounded mental. Sometimes, when Mary felt talentless compared to her friends - which happened often - she'd take out her paints and a fresh sheet of paper, and open her mind. She'd close her eyes, latching onto a strong emotion or a dream or something she'd seen in Divination, and just let the colours paint themselves. The others had seen her paintings more than once, praising them greatly, but Mary never told them that she did them without looking. She toyed with the idea sometimes, imagining how people would react when they found out that shallow, slaggish, stupid Mary Macdonald - yes, she knew what they said about her - actually had a talent besides gossip and seduction. But she preferred to just sit in her carved throne. Why raise people's expectations when they were easier to please when they thought less of you?

"We'll continue observing the planets again today," Daybright was saying. "Pay close attention to their alignment - remember that All Hallow's Eve is a day when the Sight is at its strongest – for those of you who have it."

Mary forcibly tried not to roll her eyes. She respected Daybright's Sight, but, honestly, the woman was pretty much obsessed with Halloween.

"Please, turn to your models." She and Gina glanced at the silver model of the planets on the table in front of them.

"Merlin," Gina muttered. "Let's see - Mars in line with Mercury..."

"That's conflict and communication," frowned Mary. "What does that even mean?"

Professor Daybright caught her words, and floated up to them. "The meaning will reveal itself to you, my child."

Mary suppressed a sigh. "Maybe conflict is wrong. How about... war? Mars stands for war too, right?"

"Correct," said Daybright. "That is a possibility. The stars do not always have the truth plainly written in them."

"Well, there _is_ a war going on," Gina said. "And communication... Could that mean the media?"

"Possibly. The Prophet's really feeding on this war business," Mary replied, squinting at the outer planets. There was another thought on the tip of her tongue, and she squinted at the model, trying to figure out what it was. Shaking herself, she turned to another planet. Merlin, this was Divination – she didn't have to take it _that_ seriously. "Venus is in the first house, what does that mean?"

"I don't know. No love lost?"

"That's good. Did you make that up?" Mary grinned.

"I try, Mac, I try."

"Please document your observations!" Daybright told them. "It would do you good to see what is in store for you on a day such as this."

Grateful to be able to do something other than guesswork, Mary jotted down the placing of every planet, even sketching the model. She set her parchment aside after what felt like an eternity, resting her eyes for a moment. Opening her eyes again, she glanced around the class; she was the only one done with her work, and there were another twenty minutes left. Sighing, she glanced out of the window. Being good at a subject was a lot of hard work, she thought. You'd be all frustrated because the rest of the class couldn't keep up with you. It was an irritating feeling, and yet, Mary found she could get used to it.

She rummaged in her bag for a spare piece of parchment, deciding to occupy herself with drawing. For a moment, she cleared her head until it was like an empty canvas. Then, she closed her eyes and touched her quill to the parchment. It felt like some otherworldly power was guiding her hand, because it definitely wasn't her own mind. Mary wasn't conscious of anything but the muffled scratching of her quill on the parchment, tracing out a feeling she couldn't put a finger on. Suddenly, the bell rang, cutting through Daybright's homework announcement. Annoyed at the interruption, Mary opened her eyes again.

She was surprised to see that her drawing was fully finished, even shaded in. Hmm, she was better than she thought. Mary grinned at her sketch as she stood up to leave class. She had a great imagination too - the bloke she'd drawn was a real looker. She'd caught him mid-laugh; his eyes were gleaming mischievously even in the ink sketch. His unkempt hair blew back in an invisible breeze, and he was holding a - was that a Quaffle? Merlin, it was a really good drawing. Better than a photograph, in fact... he looked rather lifelike too. Had she seen him somewhere?

"Mac? What's that?" Gina asked, breaking through Mary's giddiness. Mary silently berated herself. She'd probably looked besotted with a bit of parchment.

She glanced up at her friend, giving her a reassuring smile. "Nothing."

"Ahhh, Gina, Mac! On your way to Defence, I presume?" Sirius's voice called from across the corridor.

"Yeah," Gina replied.

"Well, stall Harper for a while. I've got an errand - in the broom cupboard, if you know what I mean," he added in an undertone so only they could hear. Then, throwing a suggestive wink over his shoulder, he disappeared in the middle of the crowd.

Gina shook her head. "He's mad."

"Mm," said Mary distractedly, ignoring the strange, gnawing feeling in her stomach and glancing at her drawing again.

Oh.  
_That bloke wasn't her imagination.  
_Oh, damn.

How was it that her bubble of pure, artsy thoughts had been popped - no, exploded - by Sirius Black? This was wrong on so many levels.  
Mary decided she needed boy-therapy. She balled up the parchment and threw it over her shoulder, even though she felt a twinge of regret. Okay, so maybe it displayed an unhealthy possible-fancy. But it had been a good sketch all the same, and it had taken her, what, only fifteen minutes? But still, a voice in her head said, Sirius Black. He's off-limits.  
Yes, delicious as he was, Sirius was as off-limits as Professor Slughorn. Ugh, Mary squirmed at the comparison - but it was true. She glanced over her shoulder at the sea of students that had swallowed up her best sketch.  
She needed a new boy. And fast.

The Halloween Feast was sumptuous only to mere mortals. Mary was immune to that sort of thing, watching with a combination of pity and amusement as all three of her friends gorged themselves on dinner. It wasn't that she needed to diet to lose weight; she honestly wasn't hungry. But she'd picked one little Pumpkin Pasty for the occasion. All Hallow's Eve was the most magical day of the year, or whatever. Mary smirked, taking another mouthful of her Pasty. But her smile faded as all of Divination came back to her. She had to physically force herself not to look at him.

She was being daft. She didn't want Sirius Black - he was a sort-of friend. An acquaintance. Also, her best mate fancied him. And even if both those barriers didn't exist, what was she expecting? Sirius was a rolling stone - like her. As if she could even have a proper relationship with anyone like him. Never mind that it would be almost worth it just to see the looks on everyone's faces when they found out - no, don't think like that. Forget boyfriend-ship, she hadn't had that in three years. She didn't want that anyway, it was just too much emotional attachment.

So Mary angled herself away from the Marauders, and cocked her head towards a nearby seventh-year, Tyler Davy, instead. He wasn't so bad, she mused as she said something trivial to him. Good-looking, thought not good-looking as - _Merlin_, she needed to stop. Besides, if she judged by Sirius, she'd rule out the entire school, except maybe James Potter and Hyperion Smith. And that brought up even more complications. _Stop thinking_, Mary, she told herself. _Start _acting_._

She tossed her hair over her shoulder, laughing at his wry reply even though she hadn't heard it. She knew she shouldn't have done it - stupid, stupid, stupid - but she gave the tiniest of glances over her shoulder at the Marauders. Sirius was looking at her.  
_I don't think so_, she said to herself smugly. She would cure herself of this idiocy in no time.

_"Baby, it's a violent world"_  
Coldplay, "Life in Technicolor ii"

James opened his eyes to the sound of deathly silence. It was the silence itself that had woken him up, and it pressed on him now, heavy as a sack of wet sand. He never woke up to quietness; Sirius and Peter were ridiculously early-risers, and generally began the day with a raucous game of Exploding Snap. He sat up, watching the narrow beams of moonlight trickle through the window. Why was it so quiet, anyway? It was Halloween, and he was still stuffed from the feast - although, he was starting to regret having so many pumpkin pies...

_"Lumos,"_ he muttered, holding his wand up. He could see four beds, with four figures huddled up inside their sheets. Merlin, were they all actually sleeping? He couldn't even remember the last time that'd happened. Then he noticed the silvery light coming from under Sirius's bedcovers.

"Oi, Padfoot!" he said, yanking on his sheets. "What're you doing?"

Sirius threw off the covers. He was holding the Marauders' Map in one hand, and his lit wand in the other. "It's my watch, remember?" He looked a little worse for wear since the Halloween Feast, irritated and rumpled. What was with that, anyway? But James shrugged it off. If it were important, Sirius would've told him already. What was really important was the watches and the messages.

He raked a hand through his hair. Ever since he and Sirius had found the Slytherin scarf, he, Sirius, and Remus had been keeping an eye on the Map in shifts. They'd decided not to involve Peter or Ed - besides, as Remus had said, the scarf didn't really mean much. Anyone could've been wearing a Slytherin scarf that day. They might've overheard a casual conversation, too, taken out of context. James and Sirius still had their suspicions, though.

"Right. Yeah." James yawned, and fell back onto the pillow. "Wake me if you see anything."

"Well, it's bloody Halloween, Prongs. The ghosts are having a party, the Bloody Baron is near the kitchens - he's probably bringing the food, or whatever ghosts eat-"

"Padfoot. Wake me when you see anything _important_."

Sirius grinned. "Fine."

James shut his eyes, trying to find that state of calm he'd been in just moments ago. _Stupid Padfoot_, he thought. Just when he finally thought he was going to sleep, Sirius gave a mad yell.

Remus jerked awake. "Did you set the curtains on fire again?" he asked.

"No - but get out of bed, now!" Sirius scrambled onto Remus's bed, hitting him with a pillow. "Honour calls!"

"What?" Peter said, his voice slightly muffled by the pillow. "Uhhh - what's goin' on?"

"I have no idea - PADFOOT! Get a bloody grip!" James hollered.

"Pick up your wands and make yourselves decent!" Sirius yelled in reply. "FOR MERLIN'S SAKE, THERE'S A SLYTHERIN IN THE COMMON ROOM!"

"Lily!" a voice whispered. "Did you hear that?"

"Hmm - Marlene, is that you?" Lily tried to say, except it came out as 'Marly – 'satchu?_'_

"Yes! I could've sworn someone just locked the door."

"Mary? Gina?" There was no answer. Lily was fully awake by now. The memory of the last message was fresh in her mind. "Are you sure, Marlene? The others are asleep."

"I'm certain."

Lily sat up, and groped for her wand. In the black night, her sense of touch seemed to be amplified; that was the nightstand, cool wood, that was the jug of water, that was the glass that came with it - where was her wand? She brushed against it on her nightstand - and then she touched skin. She froze. "Marlene," she said in a perfectly calm voice. "Remember Ed." She prayed Marlene would understand - _get Mary and Gee and get out, get Mary and Gee and get out_, she willed. If there was someone in the room… hopefully, Marlene would understand her cryptic warning. The intruder could well be the same person who'd cursed the boys… Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the dark room, and she could see Marlene leap from her bed onto Gina's. Lily quickly looked away, back to her nightstand. It seemed like she was looking at nothing, just at the patterned maroon wallpaper behind the nightstand - but then she stopped. Holding her breath, Lily looked up at the ceiling. She counted to three slowly, hoping the intruder - whoever it was - would follow her gaze. And then she flung her hand out blindly. She found an arm, and she yanked it up. "Now!"

Mary said, _"Lumos!"_ a split second before Gina yelled, _"Petrificus Totalus!"_ At the same time, the door to their dorm burst open with a bang, revealing none other than James Potter and Remus Lupin. For a moment, they all froze, staring first at each other, and then at the petrified body on the floor.

The intruder, a young woman, was in black robes, not Hogwarts ones, with Lily's wand in her left hand. Her pretty, aristocratic features were twisted in fear and defiance, her black eyes darting from one Gryffindor to the next. But they hardly noticed her expression; the reason they were all staring at Lila Romanov was her arm. Her robes had fluttered to her elbow when Gina's spell had hit her, her porcelain skin almost inhuman in the wandlight. It was perfect and unblemished in every way, except for the black skull-and-snake tattooed onto it.

"God," Gina whispered. However quiet the remark was, it reverberated throughout the room in silent agreement.

"Padfoot's getting McGonagall," James said softly. None of them took their eyes - or their wands - off the prone Lila. Soon, they could hear voices in the corridor.

"Mr. Black, I hope you're certain-"

"I'm _positive_, Professor! In the girls' dorm-"

The connecting door opened at the sound, and Isabel stepped in. "What's going on here?" Then, she saw Lila. "What happened?" Her eyes became as wide as Quaffles.

"It's a long story," said Lily grimly, tugging her wand from Lila's grasp as McGonagall entered the room.

"I see," she said, spotting Lila instantly. She did not even bat an eyelash, though she paled a little. "Thank you for informing me, Mr. Black. Release her, if you please."

Gina muttered the counter-curse, and Lila swiped at the air wildly with her wand - but Marlene disarmed her before she could do anything. McGonagall conjured ropes, which tied Lila's wrists together. The Gryffindors watched it happen like a matinee show, the Dark Mark glaring a warning at them all. McGonagall kept a tight grip on the Slytherin.

"Was there anyone else with you?" she asked Lila. The younger witch just stared, deadpan. "Very well. Veritaserum will answer that." If McGonagall had meant it as a threat, it had no effect on Lila at all. "Mr. Lupin, please calm the girls down. I think we woke some across the corridor." Remus nodded, hurrying out.

"Mr. Black, Mr. Potter, and Miss Dearborn, you seem to be fully awake already. Keep an eye on the portrait-hole, and do not admit anyone except a Gryffindor student or a teacher." Sirius, James, Marlene left too, their expressions unusually sombre. McGonagall turned to Gina and Mary. Even from across the room, Lily could see Mary shaking. "Miss Edgecombe, Miss Macdonald. Stay in the other girls' dorm. As our Headmaster said, there is safety in numbers." She gestured to the connecting door. Then, she conjured a silver cat with a quick swish of her wand - Lily recognised the shape of her Animagus form. The Patronus scampered down the corridor, disappearing from sight.

"Miss Evans, go to Professor Slughorn's office. Inform him about tonight's happenings, and ask him to bring Veritaserum to the Headmaster's office. Also," she added, just as Lily was about to take her leave, "bring all of Miss Romanov's acquaintances."  
Lily nodded, and, lighting her wand, ran down the corridor. She didn't pause at all, not even when she almost passed through Nearly Headless Nick. Calling an apology over her shoulder, she hurtled at breakneck speed to Slughorn's office, a path travelled many times in party dresses, holding invitations. Professor Slughorn was already standing outside his office, his shiny pate speckled with nervous sweat. He broke into an anxious smile as he saw her.

"Ah, Lily! Is anybody hurt, my dear?" He seemed just as shaken as Mary, trembling a little, his usual cheeriness gone.

"No, Professor. But Professor McGonagall wants-"

"Veritaserum, I know." Slughorn's face clouded over eyes clouded over, as if in a trance. "Such a shame, about Lila Romanov. She was a good student. Prefect, too."

Lily nodded apprehensively, not knowing what to say. She wasn't used to this dazed Slughorn. "Er, also, Lila's friends..."

"Yes. I've sent for them - they should be here in a moment..." Slughorn glanced down the corridor, and Lily followed his gaze. As if on cue, the Slytherins emerged from the darkness, their expressions funereal - almost as if they knew what they'd been called for. Mulciber and Avery were there, as well as Dorothy Greengrass, Gregory Nott, Marius Bludgeon, and - of course - Severus. They looked a little like ghosts, Lily thought, gliding towards her and Slughorn, their lit wands glowing eerily.

"Now, Professor Dumbledore would like a word with you. I know it's rather late, but you will have to answer his questions."

"Is this about Lila?" That was Dorothy, her eyes round and her face pale. "She wasn't in bed - is she all right?" She put on a very convincing act, Lily thought. Like McGonagall, she'd guessed that if Lila was involved with the Death Eaters, she wouldn't have been in it alone. There was no way her best friend couldn't know about that. Dorothy was still looking at Slughorn beseechingly, but he seemed far away.

"In a manner of speaking," Lily said coldly, deciding to answer for him. Her voice seemed to snap him out of his trance.

"I'd allow you to return to your bed, my dear, but Professor McGonagall wants you to come along." Lily blinked at him in confusion. What did McGonagall want her for? Slughorn gestured for them all to follow him, and set off in the direction of Dumbledore's office. The Slytherins avoided her, walking behind their Head of House. She lagged after them, and for once, didn't walk away when Severus fell into step beside her. It was time she faced her problems.

"What's this about?" he asked.

"Don't pretend you don't know," she replied. "You and your Death Eater wannabe friends work as a pack, don't you?"

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"Who was it who put the messages in our Common Room, Severus?"

"I don't know!"

"Aren't you close to Lila Romanov?"

"Yeah, I suppose, but why-"

"But you _didn't_ know that she snuck into Gryffindor Tower, into my dorm, and pinched my wand - oh, _and I suppose you also didn't know about the Dark Mark on her arm!"_

Severus stopped short, blinking at her. "What? She was in your dorm?"

"_Yes!_ How come the fact that she has the Dark Mark doesn't seem to affect you?"

"I - I had no idea-"

"Bullshit," she hissed, all her pent-up anger bubbling out. "You don't deny that all of them-" she gestured at the Slytherins in front of them "-are going to join You-Know-Who the minute they leave Hogwarts? Are you going to be one of them?"  
He didn't answer.

"Well?"

Still silence.

"And until you can give me a confident 'no' to that question, we can't we friends," she answered calmly, her voice reverberating through the corridor, and doubled her pace.

"How does that have anything to do with us?" he demanded, catching up with her.

_"It has everything to do with us!"_ Lily lowered her voice, realising she was almost shouting. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I am Muggle-born. I am everything he's fighting against! If you side with him, Severus, you side against me!"

"I'm sorry about what I said-"

"This isn't about what you said! This has been... building up ever since I saw what your friends do! It's Dark magic, and it's evil! It just became clearer to me after... after you called me _that_." As she said it, Lily realised it was true. Seeing Avery, and Mulciber, what they did to people - what they'd done to _Mary_ - had been shocking, but she'd tried to turn a blind eye to it, because she'd thought he was different. And then he'd called her that - well, how was he any different? "_You_ showed me that we're _gifted_ with magic. You, of all people, should know that it is wrong to misuse it!"

"_I'm_ not doing anything!" Severus protested.

"But you're okay with other people doing things! And_ that_ is the rift between us, not anything else."

"I'll make it up to you-"

"Will you stop talking to them? Will you report them when they do Dark magic?"

"Lily, you know I couldn't."

"Then you know where we stand."

"Don't you want to be friends again?" he asked desperately.

She sighed, her chest constricting. It was all she could do to keep the misery she felt from showing on her face. "I do. More than anything."

"I'll try, then," he said. "I swear, Lily, I'll do everything, if you just let me try."

Lily bit her tongue, willing herself not to cry, not to break down in front of them. She wanted to say yes - but would that make her a hypocrite? She remembered what Mary had said, about her forgiving Terry. It was just a chance, right?

"Toothflossing Stringmints," Slughorn said, and the stairs to the Headmaster's office appeared, saving her from answering. Severus gave her a pleading look before they climbed up the stairs, and crowded into Dumbledore's study.

"Good evening," said Dumbledore sternly. "You've come at just the right moment. These two gentlemen were just telling me how they came upon Miss Romanov." He gestured at Sirius and James. Lila was sitting some feet away, her expression blank. "Please, sit." He conjured more chairs, and Lily settled into one furthest from the Slytherins. Unfortunately, this put her closest to James. To her relief, he didn't so much as glance at her. "You were saying, Mr Black?" Dumbledore inquired, and Sirius resumed speaking.

"Yeah, well, I heard something from the Common Room, so I woke Prongs, Moony, and Wormtail up - that is, James, Remus, and Peter." Their first names sounded odd coming from him. "And I snuck down the stairs, saw Vile - er, Lila, and went to get Professor McGonagall-"

"And how did you sneak past her?" Dumbledore interrupted.

"Disillusionment Charm," replied Sirius promptly. "Anyway, Pr- James and Remus followed her into the girls' dorm." He turned to James.

"They were awake already when we got there, and they had her petrified," James finished.

"I see. And, Miss Evans, is this what you saw?"

Lily looked at the boys. There was something... off about their story, something that didn't ring quite right, but it did tie in with her part. Making a mental note to ask them about it later, she said, "Yes, Professor."

Dumbledore nodded, and when he next spoke, it was to the Slytherins. "Miss Romanov, as you may have surmised, was found in the Gryffindor sixth-year girls' dorm. What is of interest to us is the mark on her arm, known commonly as the Dark Mark used by Lord Voldemort's followers." Everyone in the room flinched at the name, but Dumbledore didn't seem to notice. "Horace, the Veritaserum?"  
Slughorn handed Dumbledore a little vial of clear liquid. He uncorked it, and stepped towards Lila. "Miss Romanov, cooperation would be good for you." Lila remained tight-lipped. Dumbledore sighed. "I did not wish to force you..." He tipped her chin up, and eased her jaw open with his long fingers. Then, he let a few drops of the Veritaserum fall into her mouth. Everyone watched with bated breath. "What is your name?" Dumbledore asked after a moment.

"Lilliana Romanov," Lila replied emotionlessly.

"What were you doing in the Gryffindor girls' dorms, Miss Romanov?"

"Leaving the messages about the blood cleansing," Lila replied. Even though Lily had suspected this, she couldn't hold in her gasp. She and Slughorn seemed to be the only ones surprised; the Slytherins and Dumbledore were blank, and James and Sirius shrugged as if they'd expected it all along.

"And whose orders were these?" Dumbledore continued.

"The Dark Lord's."

Lily thought her heart would stop.

"You are working for Lord Voldemort? You're a - Death Eater?"

"Yes."

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I see," he said. "I see. What were you going to do with the Muggleborns?"

"Hand them over to the Dark Lord," Lila said.

"Who was passing you these orders?"

"Rabastan Lestrange." Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw Sirius's expression darken.

"Where did you come into contact with him?"

She frowned. "I – I don't remember."

Immediately, James said, "She's lying."

"She can't be," said Slughorn wearily. "She honestly doesn't remember."

"No, I believe the memory was erased." Dumbledore frowned, his silvery brows furrowing gravely. "Are any of your friends Death Eaters?"

Lily locked gazes with Severus. He did not look frightened, or worried in the least. "No," Lila said. "Not that I know of." And just like that, Lily felt the burden on her shoulders lift off.

"And that can be verified in other ways," nodded Dumbledore. "Horace, please escort Miss Romanov to Minerva's office. The Ministry officials will be coming to take her in."

"Is she going to go to Azkaban?" blurted Dorothy.

Dumbledore looked at her seriously. "That remains to be seen, Miss Greengrass. Forgive me for asking you, but will all of you please show me your left arms?"

Dorothy was the first one to obey, yanking her sleeve away from her wrist and choking back a sob. It was bare, a strange pearly shade in the dim lighting. Lily noticed Mulciber hesitating, but he did the same. Avery, Nott, and Severus followed his example. None of them had the Dark Mark. Lily didn't know she could feel so relieved. "I see," Dumbledore said again. "Very well. You may all return to your dormitories."

Lily practically leapt from her seat, James and Sirius at her heels. It had been a... trying night, and she was beginning to feel its after-effects. "Goodnight, Professor," she said hurriedly, and rushed down the stairs back into the corridor. She was just about to break into a run, because though she wouldn't have admitted it, the shadows were flickering and skulking in a very disturbing way. The way they flickered her lit wand seemed as though they were ready to swoop down on her and swallow her whole. She could hear the boys' footsteps rushing after her, but she couldn't shake off her sudden, overwhelming fear – the darkness leered at her, making even the familiar corridor sinister and forbidding. She thought of the safety of Gryffindor Tower, and the warm Common Room... but then she stopped. She turned around to face James and Sirius.

"How did you know Lila was in our dorm?" she asked. They exchanged glances.

"Well, you can smell Vile-a from a mile away," Sirius said, a little half-heartedly. She gave him a look.

"Instinct," suggested James. They sighed in unison when they realised she wasn't going to be fooled. "Maybe you'll find out someday."

Oddly irritated at that, Lily continued at the same pace. Unfortunately, she'd overlooked the fact that they both had longer legs than her, and kept pace easily. "Why'd you think she started with the sixth-years?" James asked, to no one in particular. "I mean, wouldn't first-years be easier?" Lily snorted, which made him turn towards her. "Do you know?" James inquired.

"Well, of course! We're in her year! She knows us best, and so she hates us best!"

"Sorry?"

"We're the ones who affect her the most because she sees us the most," explained Lily impatiently. "How long have you called her Vile-a?"

"Since... third-year," said Sirius, after a moment of contemplation.

"Yeah, she almost killed us in Care of Magical Creatures," James muttered.

"See? You pick on her. Mary bitches about her on a regular basis. Marlene, Ed, and Isabel have cost her more than one Quidditch game. Gina is her only competition in Herbology. And Annika is infinitely more talented than she is. Ergo, she begins with us. It's called _spite_."  
There was a moment of silence. "I didn't know girls thought that much," Sirius said in astonishment.

"Yes, well, we aren't all like you," Lily said, her voice bordering on acidulous. Then she sighed. "Sorry. It's been-"

"A hard night?" James finished. "For us all. There's been a bloody Death Eater in school, after all-"

"How long d'you think she's been one?" Sirius inquired.

"Long enough for them to trust her with a task like this," replied Lily.

"I wonder how many of her friends are with the Death Eaters," James said. Lily looked at him.

"None of them had the Dark Mark, and that isn't something you can just cover with foundation."

"I know, but where could she have met them? If it was in the summer, Gregory Snot lives next door to her. He'd know too. And if it was at Hogsmeade, well, she never goes anywhere without Greenbean. It's definitely not inside Hogwarts-"

"But what if it is?" Sirius interrupted.

"It isn't," replied James firmly. "Merlin, Hogwarts has been a haven for years. You-Know-Who might be powerful, but there are kinds of magic even he can't understand."

Lily suspected that the castle would collapse right then, because he'd just spoken words that rang with enormous truth. Those words hit her like a stone wall suddenly popping up in her path. Gracious, did JAMES POTTER actually have hidden depths? "When's the next Quidditch game?" she asked, searching for a safe topic. Both boys stared incredulously at her. "What?" she demanded.

"Nothing," Sirius grinned.

"Didn't know you liked Quidditch, Evans," said James, running his hand through his hair the way he always did. Somehow, he managed to turn even that line into something totally flirty. Lily rolled her eyes; with that one action, he'd shattered whatever doubts she'd had. Boys would be boys, and James would be James, massive threat against the school or not.

"It's on Saturday," said Sirius. "Against Hufflepuff."

"Oh," Lily said, because there wasn't really anything else she could say. She racked her brain anyway. "Er - are they any good?"

James chuckled, the sound echoing down the long corridor ahead of them. "Not compared to us."

"You're modest," Lily noted dryly.

"I'm honest. We Gryffindors take great pride in our high standard."

Sirius coughed. "Yeah, easy to say when you haven't got Satan for a captain."

"Well, it's been my satanic ways that have us on a winning streak. Admit that you wouldn't trade that."

"I wouldn't, but I also wouldn't mind a little slack-"

"Slacking is for losers," James pointed out as they neared the Fat Lady.

"But losers are still players," said Lily. "Isn't that good enough?"

Both of them laughed at that. "You're surprisingly naïve, Evans," chortled James, shaking his head. "I thought one so wise as you would know things like this. The Hogwarts Quidditch Cup isn't just a game. It's a war."

"Really?" Lily choked back laughter.

"Yep," Sirius nodded. "Win or die."

"Merlin, that sounds nasty. Gurdyroot," she added to the dozing Fat Lady. Suddenly, she realised she'd had an actual conversation with the pair of them - and she'd enjoyed it. How... strange.

"Yes, absolutely right," the portrait replied sleepily, swinging open. The three stepped into the Common Room, and froze at the sight of Professor Harper sitting in the large, comfortable armchair by the fire.

"Uh - we were speaking to Professor-" Lily began, but Harper waved dismissively.

"I'm keeping watch here, nothing more. You should all get to bed."

They nodded, and Lily went up the stairs thinking how surreal this day was going - and it hadn't even properly begun yet. Her mind suddenly spun with the events of the last hour - had it really been only an hour ago? - and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into her bed and sleep like a rock. She rapped on the connecting door between the girls' dorms, and it was opened by a sleepy Gina, who became alert the moment she saw her.

"What happened?" she said at once. "Did you talk to Dumbledore?"

"Yeah, I did." Lily yawned. "Can we talk tomorrow, Gee? I'm - exhausted."

"Of course. Hang on, I'll get Marlene and Mary."

Once they were all awake - and ready to sleep again - Lily wriggled under her sheets, staring out of the window. The connecting door was open, and she could hear Annika's familiar, heavy breathing. Turning onto her side, she hoped that the morning would be a lot saner than the night had been.

Of course, her wish was not granted.

_"I believe that there's hope  
Buried beneath it all"_  
Paramore, "Let The Flames Begin"

When James woke for the second time that morning, he felt a strange kind of resolution in his stomach. It wasn't the very pleasant kind, but fluttered uncomfortably and made him grimace. Last night's revelation had... affected him, he realised. It was rather like a bright light shining in his eyes; there was no use even trying to ignore it. _She could've died_. He hopped out of bed, almost tripping over Peter. "Merlin, Wormtail, are you trying to be squashed? Who asked you to play chess at the foot of my bed?"

"You usually get off on the other side," Sirius explained for him. "Well, the bathroom's free. And it won't be as soon as Moony wakes up." He nodded towards the stirring lump on Remus's bed.

"Right," James said, awkwardly jumping over the chessboard. Just as he was about to shut the bathroom door, Sirius jammed his foot between it and the doorframe. "Oi, Padfoot, shove off!"

"You all right, Prongs? You look like you took a Bludger to the head."

"Yes, I'm all right, Padfoot. Thank you for your concern," James replied, trying his best to wipe off his hit-by-a-Bludger expression. "And now, shove off."

"Fine, fine."

James slammed the door shut, running a hand through his hair. This was going to be a good day, he promised his reflection.  
It seemed that even breakfast agreed with him, because there was an abundance of bread, and a lack of milk. He hated milk. But aside from the culinary splendour, breakfast had not presented him with the one thing imperative to his resolution. Lily Evans was about as present as the milk. James dropped onto his seat, filling his plate. Why did she choose today, of all days, to pull a last-minute breakfast? And he had dratted Herbology next, there was no way they could talk over Bubotuber pus.

"Prongs! Why'd you come down without us?" Sirius asked, sitting beside him. "Ahhh, so we'd have no food left, is it?"

"Bread calls to me, Padfoot," James grinned.

"It's good bread," Remus said, taking a bite. "You're excused. And Lily's waiting for Mary today, in case you were wondering." He nodded towards Gina and Marlene, who were eating nearby.

"I was not," James attempted to argue. Attempted being the key word in that sentence.

Sirius grinned. "This reminds me of third year. D'you remember that, Prongs?"

"Padfoot, I will never endorse your party-crashing if we talk about third year. That was a dark, dark time." James shuddered, remembering when he'd had a crush on a seventh-year – it had lasted about a week, but even he had to admit that he'd been a wee bit obsessed.

"Speaking of dark times," Sirius said, lowering his voice and still grinning, "when's the next full moon? You don't look so great, Moony." James glanced at their friend. His eyes were ringed with dark shadows, contrasting with his pale face.

"Yeah, this weekend." Remus smiled thinly. "Coincidentally, on a day when I have patrol with Lily."

Just then, James noticed Lily and Mary entering the hall, followed by a nippy November wind. "I'll tell her," he said, jumping up.

"Tell her what?" Remus said, looking mildly alarmed.

"That... your mother's ill."

"We said that last time."

"Whatever. I'll improvise." He strolled up to the girls, trying to look as casual as possible. They both gave him suspicious frowns. "Hi. Evans, can I speak to you?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Go on."

He sighed. "Alone."

Mary rolled her eyes. "As if I don't know what you're going to say." But she walked away, giving him a warning glance as she passed. James took that to mean don't upset her, or I'll hex you. He was hoping it wouldn't come to that.

"Well? What's this about?" she said.

"Er - Moony's mum is ill."

Her expression changed to concern, and she glanced at Remus. "Oh, is it... serious?"

"No, no, but he's going home on Saturday evening... He'll miss your patrol."

Lily nodded. "No problem. I'll trade patrols with someone." She turned to leave.

"Wait!" James began, and she looked back at him coolly.

"What?"

"I just wanted to ask - are you all right?"

She arched one perfect eyebrow. "I'm fine. Why would you care?"

He held in a snort. "You almost got jumped by a Death Eater last night."

"She's sixteen, Potter. Hardly intimidating." She was still looking at him coldly. It was the kind of look that just begged to be commented on. James wished she wasn't so much of a temptation to his big mouth.

"You know, for a redhead, you're a great ice queen."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Redheads are known for being short-tempered," he explained. "But - oh, it's pointless if I spell it out. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something else."

She stiffened. "How many times do I-"

"It's not that," he said quickly, and took a deep breath. "I'm not very good at speeches, but I'll give it a shot-"

"Oh, are you saying you have a fault?"

"Just listen. Since you've made it pretty clear that you won't go out with me in the near future, I hoped we could be... friends." Had he really just said that? The words dropped like a bomb between them. They both froze.

She gaped at him like she'd never heard the word before, all indifference gone. "Friends?"

"Yeah. We've fought since our first year here. But there's a war going on outside this castle, and we'll be in the middle of it soon. I think it's time to make amends."

He didn't know who was more shocked to hear the words coming from his mouth.

"Make amends?" Lily repeated.

"Be friends. At least acquaintances. That comes with the added perks of me not hexing any of your mates, not bashing any of them physically or verbally, limiting my teasing, and-" here he paused for effect "-a limit on my asking you out."

"A _limit_?"

"No more than once every four months," he promised. "So I'm already set for January, I think."

She blinked at him. "Is this a joke?" she said finally.

"No! Merlin, a bloke tries to be nice, and you assume it's a prank?" He raked a hand through his hair, wishing she'd just answer.

"Yes. It's you," she pointed out.

"All right, I suppose I had that coming."

"For a long, long time." She smiled tentatively. "Does copying off your Charms work come as an added perk?"

"No," he said solemnly. "Not until we pass from acquaintances to friends. Well?"

She cocked her head, considering. "Well..." She drew out the word, painstakingly slow.

"Well?" James prompted impatiently.

"I suppose we could give it a shot," she said dubiously.

He grinned. "Good. Shake on it?" He extended a hand, and she eyed it warily.

"You don't mean the pirate handshake where you spit on your hand, do you?"

"No," he replied, puzzled. "Why would I mean that?"

She shrugged. "You Marauders seem to have all sorts of strange inside jokes. Like your nicknames."

"Maybe one day, you'll find out what those mean. Of course, you'd have found out sooner if you'd just said yes to me before..."

"Ha ha. Don't push it, Potter." She slid her hand into his, giving it a firm shake. He could sense the Gryffindors gaping at the non-violent contact between them, but he ignored them, watching the corners of her mouth turn up. Damn her. This mates thing was going to be harder than he thought.

"James," he corrected.

She nodded. "Lily?" She was almost asking him.

He shook his head, grinning. "We'll find a nickname for you yet," he promised, and went back to the table to add more bread to his elation.

"What was that all about?" Sirius asked, the moment he sat back down.

"Nothing," James said innocently, fighting the grin from his face.

"Oh? I'm not daft, Prongs."

"That's news to me." James dodged the croissant Sirius threw at him. "You're really a big fan of projectiles."

"What did she say to make you so stoned, anyway?"

"That we could be friends."

Sirius shook his head in disgust. "Normally, I'd congratulate you, but I suppose Lily Evans's idea of friends is far from mine."

"Probably, or she'd never have agreed so quickly," Remus grinned.

"What're you suggesting, Mr Pure and Waiting Till Marriage? I was the picture of chivalry."

"Oh, nothing..."

"Pass me a croissant!"

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but bread will never hurt me."

"We'll see!" This was followed by a short bread fight, accompanied by yells and even a blob of jam, splattering on Peter's tie. James noted with pleasure that a handful of Slytherins were caught in the crossfire, and deliberately hit them with a croissant or two.

"POTTER!"

James promptly took a bite of the bread he'd been levitating towards Peter. It was a good idea; the chewing covered up his laughter quite well.

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded Professor Sprout, glaring at them. "Mr Lupin, I expected better of you..."

"Sorry, Professor," Remus said, looking ashamed.

"Like hell you are," James whispered, jabbing him in the ribs as Professor Sprout turned away. "Suck-up."

Remus laughed, throwing an extra-buttery croissant at him. "Suck on that."

He opened his mouth at just the right moment, catching the croissant between his teeth. Peter and Sirius cheered enthusiastically. "A little too buttery for my taste," grinned James, swallowing it.

"Get up, you oaf. We've got Ancient Runes."

James groaned, getting to his feet. "I am _not_ a loaf, though I really like those."

"That," Sirius said, "was a terrible pun."

"I'm not a bun either – Merlin, make up your minds!"

They all groaned, and James stifled laughter. "Shut up and go for bloody Ancient Runes," Sirius sighed.

"Remind me why I took Runes again, Moony?" James asked resignedly as they rose from the Gryffindor table.

"Something about appearing clever so you could get to Lily?"

"Yeah, well, can I drop it now?"

"You wish, Prongs..." As they strolled out of the Great Hall, James glanced over his shoulder at Lily. For the first time, she did not look away when she met his gaze.

Lily stabbed at her eggs, imagining Severus's eyes burning into her back. Of course, she didn't even know if he was looking at her, but she definitely wasn't going to check, now, was she? Even so, she hadn't been able to resist a glance at the Slytherin table as she was taking her seat. Lila Romanov wasn't sitting with the other sixth-years, who all looked varying degrees of glum. He'd glanced at her when she'd been talking to James, but had turned away almost immediately. What was that supposed to mean?

And then there was James himself. Wait - since when did she mentally refer to him by his first name, anyway? Lily had no idea how long their tentative 'friendship' would last. But he'd seemed sincere, and since she was handing out chances, why spare him? Right? Right. Right? Merlin, between him, Sev, and Terry, she'd have an entire garden of flowering doubts in her head.

"You aren't eating, Lil," Gina said, stopping in the middle of reading out an article and peering at her. All of them were quite subdued today, pale and exhausted. Gina and Marlene both sported messy buns, and even Mary didn't look as pitch-perfect as usual. Lily had settled for a braid, since it was the only way her hair didn't seem too wild. Gina set aside the Prophet; she'd been reading out a piece about a Hogwarts student's sister, who'd been attacked. Some Hufflepuff, O'Grady or something - Lily hadn't exactly been paying attention.

"I am," she said.

"You aren't. Was it something Potter said?" Gina looked ready to charge after him. The Marauders seemed to be throwing bread at each other, or something equally ridiculous.

"No," Lily sighed. "Actually, he asked if we could be friends."

Mary dropped her orange, Gina gawped at her, and Marlene said, "Bloody hell, are you joking?"

"Does it look like I'm joking? That's what he said."

"Merlin, Lily," said Gina in bewilderment. "Are we talking about the same Potter?"

"The very same. _James_ Potter. He asked to be friends."

"What for?" Mary spluttered. "Everyone knows he's fancied you for ages-"

"Not really," Lily interrupted, but none of her friends paid her any attention. They didn't share her scepticism when it came to the degree of James's fancy. Honestly, though, he couldn't be serious. Right? Right. Right? "But he asked me anyway. He said that I'd made it clear that I didn't want to be his girlfriend, but he'd like to be friends."

"Hang on a second - could you pinch me, Mac?" Marlene asked. Mary leaned over the table and pinched her forearm hard. "Ow - so we're not dreaming. That's..."

"Weird?" Mary suggested. "But not the strangest thing that's happened recently."

And that really put the past events into perspective. If James Potter being decent to Lily Evans wasn't the most ludicrous thing happening, Hogwarts was in trouble. Deep trouble. Not that Lily was self-obsessed, but it was a crazy thing. A crazy, unprecedented thing. A crazy, mad, incredibly unlikely, unprecedented thing. Lily sighed. "Well, I hope that's the only surprise this day has in store for me, because I'm already wiped out."

"Ahem, Lily?"

Right. She'd almost forgotten. Almost.

"You don't have to lurk there, Sev," she said without turning around. "You can sit down."

"No, I don't think I will. Got to get to Ancient Runes. But did you think about my question?"

So many questions. Lily rubbed her forehead. "Yeah, I think we can give it a shot," she half-whispered. She could practically feel his happiness. But really, there was only one answer to his question. "I'll see you in Ancient Runes, then?"

"Yeah. Bye, Lily."

"Bye, Sev."

The moment he was gone, Mary heaved a sigh of relief. "Finally, World War III is over," she said. "Can we get on with normal school life now?"

Gina snorted. "Somehow, I doubt it'll be normal anytime soon."

She wished it wasn't true, but in the back of her mind, Lily agreed.  
_  
_

_"Coming to haunt her  
Stuck still, no turning back"_  
Florence + the Machine, "Dog Days Are Over"

Sirius loved flying about a thousand times more than the next wizard. It was really something, being fifty feet from the ground and away from any sort of problems. Quidditch was the kind of sport that detached you from life for a precious few hours, putting all your focus on the three balls. Floating this high up, Sirius could almost believe that You-Know-Who wasn't slowly gaining power, that there hadn't been a Death Eater undercover inside Hogwarts, that his brother - no, Regulus _wasn't_ his brother - didn't have a dark reputation.

"Are you dreaming, Padfoot?" James roared, whizzing past him.

"Coming, Captain," Sirius called, racing after him. "What's the game plan for today?"

"It's a mini-game I invented," he said. "Hang on, let's wait for everyone else to get here."

The rest of the team soared up to meet them, looking ready to take on the world. Sirius figured they needed to do better than that; he hadn't seen James this smug since the first match he'd ever captained, when they'd beat Slytherin 560-40. Obviously, he had something horrible up his sleeve.

"Out with it, then," Marlene said.

"What?" asked James innocently.

"Whatever cruel torment you've got in store for us today."

James grinned. "I suppose you all think we're completely set to beat Hufflepuff?"

There were nods all around. Sirius watched his best mate suspiciously.

"I'll have you know that their idiotic Captain O'Neill decided to switch out their centre Chaser - that's Trevor - for Adrienne Fell."  
Every single player laughed, except Sirius. He'd never seen Fell on a broomstick, so why was she playing? And why was it so important anyway? For Merlin's sake, what was James on about?

"Yes, I'd be laughing with you if it wasn't for the fact that Fell spent the past two summers playing Quidditch with her cousin, Grace Pepper, none other than the Holyhead Harpies' centre Chaser."

The laughs subsided died almost instantly. Sirius knew of Grace Pepper's innovative technique and crazy skills - she could've been James's soul sister. If Adrienne Fell had picked up anything from her cousin... The consequences would be disastrous.

"So, I've invented a mini-game to train us for her. We can't underestimate her skill, no matter how hopeless she might've been before. Pepper is a genius, and if she's managed to leave even a bit of that brilliance on Adrienne Fell, we're nothing short of doomed."

"So what's the game?" asked Gina.

"I call it 'Quaffle-Spotting'. I pick one Chaser who's in possession of the Quaffle at the whistle, and everyone else works to get the Quaffle away from them. I don't care what you do, as long as you don't kill them, you get that Quaffle. The single player has to score as many points as possible, and retain possession, obviously."

They all nodded, but James wasn't finished. "As an added difficulty, the Keeper needs to watch both sets of hoops, and the Seeker needs to catch two Snitches to end the game."

Ah. No wonder James had scheduled such a long practice. Sirius reckoned it would be a while before any of them saw the Common Room again.

"Right, then," James said, ignoring the looks of absolute horror on the team's faces. "Let's begin." He touched down below them all to release the balls.

"Potter is barking mad," Gina said hoarsely.

"Welcome to a day in the life of a Gryffindor Quidditch player," said Marlene dryly. "Better get started, then." She patted Elyse Grady on the back. "You'll need all the luck you can get, kiddo." Elyse was starting to turn green as Marlene and Ed flew into the middle of the pitch.

"It'll be fine," he told them. "It's our first day playing this game, Prongs won't expect too much." That was a horrible lie, and they all knew it.

Elyse smiled weakly. "Thanks." She left, too.

"I'll show him," Bel said fiercely. "As an added difficulty, the Keeper needs to watch both sets of hoops - ha!" She took her place at one end of the pitch, hovering by one set of hoops.

Gina raised an eyebrow at Sirius. "So, who's starting with the Quaffle?"

James zipped between them, flying vertical to the ground, the red Quaffle in his grasp. "Me!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Sirius threw Gina a grin. "Let's go get our arses kicked, eh?"

"Can't wait," she muttered, and they chased James down.

He was the epitome of unpredictability, swerving randomly and sometimes looping back around. Once, he even flew through them, somehow managing to tweak Sirius's nose on the way. Sirius swore. James was playing with them; if they didn't do something soon, he'd get irritable. Idle James was much better than Irritable James.

He wasn't just messing with him and Gina; he scored goals only on one end of the pitch just to tick off Bel, and scared the Snitches away when Elyse got close to them. Sirius would've liked to say that they put up a respectable fight, but by the end of the practice, everyone except James was thoroughly battered - because the Beaters had only missed him - and in a downright nasty mood. They'd been put to shame; the final score was 340-nil to James. Sirius and Gina hadn't touched the Quaffle even once. In fact, Sirius thought James would've made them play through the night until Elyse caught both the Snitches. Everyone came back bad-tempered.

"I call the shower," James said as they pushed through the portrait hole. Sirius didn't argue - when James was in one of his moods, you didn't pick a fight with him. So he sat out in the Common Room, watching Remus and Peter do their Transfiguration homework.

"How quaint, you're working," he said, collapsing into a chair.

"Who did you pay this time?" Remus said, smiling a little. "Marlene? Because that's just-" He stopped himself.

"That's just what?" Sirius asked.

"Never mind."

If he hadn't been totally exhausted, Sirius might've pressed it, but he didn't really care about anything beyond a bath and rest.

"Anyway, I'm done. You can copy off me if you like."

"No thanks," Remus replied. "I've got a reputation to uphold. I've already got into one bread fight today."

"I'll take that offer," Peter said, running up to their dorm.

"I don't see why you bother making the effort." Sirius yawned.

Remus gave him an odd look. "You make an effort to uphold your reputation."

"What reputation?" he laughed.

"Your mad, devilish reputation."

"That's not an act, Moony. I really am mad and devilish and all those things."

"I suppose." Remus was still looking at him like that.

Unnerved, Sirius changed the topic. "Quidditch practice was God-awful today."

"Prongs kill anyone yet?"

"No, but he nearly did us all in with all the frustration." And so Sirius began to give him a blow-by-blow account of their dreadful practice.

"Hey," a voice interrupted, coming to sit beside him at the table. "Is that Transfiguration? I wrote utter rubbish."

"Mac," Sirius grinned. "And how are you today?"

"Well, thanks," Mary replied, rolling her eyes. "Don't mind me, you can continue whatever you were saying."

"No, no, anything for a lady," Sirius replied. Remus coughed loudly.

"You just got back from Quidditch, didn't you?" she asked.

"You can tell by the smell," said Remus, grinning.

"No," Mary said thoughtfully. "I actually don't smell anything."

Sirius gave Remus a triumphant glance. "Of course you don't. I don't smell. That's for lesser men."

She laughed. "You're mental."

He shrugged. "So they say. I suggest you find out yourself."

"I'll remember that invitation," Mary grinned.

Remus coughed again. "I'd like to remind you that there are first-years right here."

"Please, Moony. Do you want to know what I was doing in first year?"

"No, thanks, Padfoot."

"Yes, history aside, my Transfiguration?" Mary prompted.

"Right, that. It's simple enough - all about self-confidence, and flicking your wrist counter-clockwise - what?" Sirius realised that Remus and Mary were both staring at him in amazement.

"You actually learned something?" Remus said in disbelief. "You listened during Transfiguration? You paid attention in class?"

"A little." Sirius shrugged. "I'm not daft, you know. And besides, I need to Exceed Expectations if I want to become an Auror."

Mary's eyebrows shot up at this. "An Auror?"

"Yep."

"Isn't that overdone, now?" she teased.

"It was my idea first," he assured her.

"That's a lot of work, though."

"I'll manage. What about you?"

She shrugged, avoiding his eyes. Suddenly, it occurred to Sirius that here might be a person who'd done less planning for the future than he had. He felt ... sympathetic. Deciding to spare her, he changed the subject. "Anyway, the counter-clockwise flick. Just try it out - you won't be able to describe it right otherwise." He demonstrated, twisting his wrist from right to left. She copied him. "Yeah, like that, except a little more rounded, see? Make it a smoother motion."

"This?"

"Smoother, Mac." He held her wrist, turning it gently. "There, nice and slow," he whispered.

"Got it," she whispered back. She met his eyes for an instant, but then suddenly looked away, pulling her hand from his grip. He wanted to turn around - because she'd definitely been looking at something behind him. But he brushed it off as girl-weirdness, and pointed out a mistake in her half-finished essay. Maybe if he hadn't been so stupidly oblivious, he'd have noticed Marlene frozen on the staircase, and saved everyone a heaping of drama.

But he was Sirius Black; who could blame him?

* * *

**A/N: **First off, I promise the next chapter is gonna be here soon and stuff actually happens there. You can hold me to this promise, guys! Last but not least, keep reading :)

Review please, and I will love you to the moon and back,

Tessa.


	6. Quidditch, Espionage & Other Mad Things

**Copyright Jo Rowling. Cover art credit to viria13 on deviantart.**

**A/N: **Okay, this was very very soon. I know. But some of you have been pestering me about the fact that I am currently holding out on like, 6 chapters (unfortunately, truth). So, to make up for it, I'm posting this early. Thank you, A Moment Of Eternity for that very flattering PM :) I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

5. Quidditch, Espionage, and Other Mad Things  
_"Some nights I wish that my lips could build a castle,  
Some nights I wish they'd just fall off"_  
Fun., "Some Nights"

Marlene was ready to win.

Gina was sick to her stomach.

Mary was ready to spot the best-looking player.

Lily wasn't sure why it was such a big deal.

James was on the warpath.

Sirius was slowly getting closer to Adrienne Fell.

Peter was the only one with unwavering confidence in his mates.

Remus was exhausted.

Isabel was getting impatient - why was Saturday so far away?

Ed was perfectly calm.

Annika was preparing her soothing speeches.

Elyse Grady was horrified - why was Saturday so _close?_

Yes, such was the effect of Gryffindor's first Quidditch match of the year. Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors were at loggerheads, and Lily and Remus had to drag away more than one pair of duelling students. Even Professor McGonagall gave Professor Sprout strange looks in the corridors. Lily couldn't make heads or tails of it. It was only a _game_, not a bleeding war! But it was definitely coming close to one. McGonagall overlooked all the Gryffindor players' slights, telling off the Hufflepuffs as often as she could. Sprout was, in turn, thirsting for James's blood in any possible way. But he was being surprisingly clear-headed about the whole thing, Lily noticed, handing in all his assignments early and coming to the greenhouses five minutes before class started. As for jinx-happy Sirius, Lily reckoned she hadn't seen his wand out in the corridor in the past five days - a real record for him.

Ravenclaws and Slytherins were taking advantage of this new enmity, placing bets on which team they thought would win and jeering at both teams in the corridors. It was all very heart stopping, thought Lily in amusement. For her, Quidditch matches meant tense friends, more peacekeeping work, and a brief reprieve from the Marauders' pranks. But for the rest of them... well, let's just say they weren't quite the same. As they sat in the Common Room on Friday afternoon, Lily reflected that there was probably something about Quidditch that brainwashed them all. It seemed like no one could think about anything else. Mary, Gina, and Hannah were in Divination, and the rest of the Gryffindor sixth-years sat discussing Hufflepuff's strategy, all homework forgotten.

"See," Marlene was saying, "they know we're better than them. They'll have something up their sleeves, or they wouldn't be looking so bloody smug in the corridors all the time."

James nodded, his brow furrowed. "I'd thought it was Adrienne Fell, but I was able to find out about that pretty easily... Padfoot? How's Operation Falling Fell working?"

_Falling Fell? _That was ridiculous. Lily rolled her eyes, turning back to her essay.

"Fell is far too easy, Cap'n," said Sirius. "There's something fishy about how easy she is. She knows I'm on the Quidditch team, but she had no problem answering my questions."

"That's because you _seduced _her," pointed out Annika.

"Besides the point. If Grace Pepper taught her anything, it would be resistance to even the strongest kinds of seduction when a match is coming up."

"Yeah, that doesn't make sense," agreed James. "But I think we've run out of spies. We've already used Annika, Bel's on the team this year, Moony and Wormtail are too obvious..."

"Hannah?" Bel suggested.

"She won't have anything to do with it. Calls it British madness," Ed snorted. Lily almost agreed with her. "And she's really obvious too."

"Yes, she isn't exactly the picture of subtlety..." Marlene nodded slowly.

"Hey! I've got it!" Sirius exclaimed. "How about you, Dearborn?"

Marlene looked at him like he was mad. "Are you positively off your rocker, Black?"

"You know, she's right," said Lily, absorbed in her paper. "Everyone knows Marlene is on the team... And she's really intimidating. Unless you expect her to scare someone into submission, I suggest you pick someone else."

There was silence for a moment. Lily took no notice of it, until it stretched for an uncomfortably long time. She glanced up, and realised they were all staring at her. "What?"

"You're bloody brilliant, is what," James said in awe. "Evans, I bow down to you."

"Wait, what're we talking about?"

And then it hit her.

"That's not what I meant," she said hastily. "Not at all what I meant. I'm not a _spy_-"

"That's a _great _idea!" Marlene exclaimed. "No one would ever suspect Lil, she's so..."

"Prefect," Sirius supplied. "The perfect Prefect."

"Goody-goody," added Bel.

"Not even a Quidditch fan," Annika grinned. "_It's perfect_."

"Hang on!" Lily shouted. "I'm not doing your dirty work!"

James pouted at her. "But this is what mates do for each other."

"We're still only acquaintances," Lily pointed out.

And then he played the trump. "But we're going to be doing non-verbal spells in Charms soon... I'm sure Flitwick will expect dozens of perfect essays. I mean, he was so disappointed about everyone's average marks... Everyone else's, I mean."

She had come to a conclusion. She really, truly despised James Potter. "You're evil," she told him.

He grinned. "You don't win by being good, Evans."

Taking a deep breath, she said, "I have access to all your Charms work until the next Quidditch match."

"Done. And if you'll consider doing this again, well, I'm sure it can continue."

He was downright underhand. He was destined to be a criminal mastermind. "Deal," she muttered. "So, teach me all I have to know."

That day was one of the most stressful days of Lily's sixteen years. Sirius was delighted with her, and sat next to her in every class, lecturing her on espionage techniques under Muffliato. Lily had to endure lecture after lecture on what he called 'The Fine Art of Espionage', his voice annoyingly loud and preventing her from taking any notes. Finally, during their last free period, she sat down with the Quidditch team to discuss what she'd learned from his lessons.

"I know this is really short notice," said James, "but if you'd come up with this genius plan a few days, it'd be better thought-out."

"I've been teaching her all day," assured Sirius. "I hope you were taking notes, Lily."

Lily blinked at him. "Notes?"

Bel groaned. "Lil's too good. She's never going to be able to do this spying business."

"Hey," said Lily. "Of course I can."

"Of course you can," James told her. "I have the utmost confidence in you, new friend. But are you saying you weren't taking notes?"

"No! Why would I have been taking _notes_, for Merlin's sake?"

"Lily, do you know how much this means to us?" Marlene moaned. "We've had a winning streak for the past - what, ten years? No one expects _our_team to break it."

"Sorry, I'm taking this seriously, honest!" Lily protested. She'd put up with their madness for this one day, she told herself. And after this, she'd never have anything to do with bloody Quidditch.

"You better be, or Prongs will tie you to a tree in the Forbidden Forest and laugh as the nasty creatures tear you apart," Sirius said.

James considered for a moment. "No, that's too quick. I'd rip you limb for limb myself."

Lily rolled her eyes, mock-musing. "Thanks, that really makes me feel better."

"I'm hoping you've absorbed something out of what Sirius taught you," Ed said. "I mean, he's got a treasure trove of knowledge when it comes to seduction."

"Who said I was seducing anyone?" Lily said, incredulously looking from Sirius to James to Marlene. They couldn't be serious – could they?

"That's what we all meant," Marlene replied, looking surprised.

"Why don't you get Mac to do it? She's a natural."

"Mac would forget all about the Quidditch. You're dedicated," James explained.

"But you all know I don't give two hoots about Quidditch!" she spluttered.

"Yes, but you've got some amount of house pride," he said patiently. "Come on, Lily, we all believe in you."

"No, Bel doesn't," she said, desperately looking for excuses.

"Don't be a baby, Lil," Marlene said. "Look, here's the list of male Hufflepuff players. Pick one and go talk to him, at least."

"If you can't seduce him, feed him Veritaserum," Ed suggested eagerly.

"Oh, it's a good thing I've got so much of that, let me just go fetch one of my spare bottles of Veritaserum," she replied sarcastically.

"I'll nick one from Slughorn for you," said Sirius.

"Absolutely not!"

Bel pulled a huge bottle of Firewhiskey out. "All you need to do is get him drunk. All right?"

"But-"

"Evans, your mark is Rick O'Neill." James tossed the list at her. "Now go."

"What? I didn't pick him!"

"Well, you were taking too long. Sorry. Bye." He steered her towards the portrait-hole. "Out. Where's the bloke, Padfoot?"

"Ah - heading down for an early dinner so he can get a good night's rest before the match. Good luck, Lily. I'm counting on you to be a good protégée." Sirius gave her a thumbs-up.

"You lot are ridiculous," Lily mumbled, staggering into the corridor.

"The fate of Gryffindor rests in your hands, Evans!" James called, grinning at her as the portrait swung shut again.

The Fat Lady gave her a look. "If you're going to be out at ungodly hours, I'd like to remind you of the Prefect badge you're wearing."

And that is the story of how Lily Evans came to be standing outside her Common Room with a bottle of Firewhiskey stashed on her person and a mission on her mind.

_"This is it, boys  
This is war  
What are we waiting for?"_  
Fun., "Some Nights"

After

James spent the hour before dinner tossing shoes at the dorm wall. He imagined a hoop on the wall, and pretended he was throwing the Quaffle into it, again, and again, and again. It always hit the mark. He couldn't find his Charms book anywhere, which might've proved a bit of a problem considering they had homework, if not for the fact that he had more pressing things to consider.

Lily had been gone almost an hour - how long was she taking? Or was he just used to Sirius's fifteen-minute-rendezvous? He was starting to get antsy. What if O'Neill was a serial killer? Merlin, they'd sent her into the hands of a murderer! He didn't dare go down to the Great Hall, afraid he'd see a redheaded corpse lying beside the Hufflepuff Captain. Or worse, that he'd see her giggling and feeding him dinner. Maybe he was overreacting. A little.

The door flew open, and Sirius waltzed in. "You'll never believe what I saw at dinner!" he sang.

"Evans is dead, isn't she?" James said.

"No - what the hell, Prongs?"

"Never mind. What did you see?"

"A lack of O'Neill! She's got him! Maybe she was actually listening to my lectures!"

"I shudder at the images," James muttered. "But what if he's figured out? What'll he do if he knows we sent a bloody spy?"

"She's a smart girl," said Sirius dismissively. "She'll get out of it."

"Easy for _you _to say. You're not the one trapped with a potential serial killer."

"Prongs? Are you all right, because you sound demented."

"Nerves," said James, throwing the shoe at the wall.

"Oi, that's mine! And you don't _get_nervous. This is because of her, isn't it? Don't worry, she's been taught by the best."

"That's what's scaring me. Maybe I should go look for them."

"Don't be daft. That's a dead giveaway."

James froze. "Why didn't I think of it before? The Map, Padfoot! Give me the bloody map!"

"You're a genius, you are," said Sirius, rolling his eyes and tossing him the Marauders' Map.

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good," said James, squinting at the parchment. "Hmm, let's see... There's Harriet Fudge - ghastly bird. Found her! Oh, no, that's Lillian Lark... Evans! Oh, no, Evan Rosier. Merlin, she's good at this hiding business."

"Give me that," Sirius said, grabbing the map from him. "You dolt, she's right there, going down this corridor right here - she should be in the Entrance Hall in a moment."

"So she is. Is she with O'Neill?"

"Er - no. But it looks like she was on her way back from the Astronomy - oh, shit." Sirius frowned.

"What?"

"Prongs, d'you remember our nickname for the bloke?"

James frowned. "No. Is this relevant?"

"Quite. Are you sure you don't remember? Because it just hit me..."

"What is it, Padfoot?" James had never seen his friend so uncomfortable. He was beginning to dread Sirius's next words.

"Er... it was... O'Feel."

"That's it." James leapt from his bed. "That's _it_, Rick O'Neill is a dead little-"

"Hold on, Prongs, think this out!" Sirius blocked his way. "What if she's OK?"

"What if she's OK?" James repeated. "WHAT IF?"

"You're not really acting like a friend, you know. More like a jealous boyfriend."

"DON'T YOU SEE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SITUATION?!"  
"Of course I do!" he protested. "I'm _Sirius_!"

James did not laugh. "_Move_, Padfoot!"

"All right, all right. Just try and be a little subtle, eh?"

"Subtlety, be damned," James muttered, pushing past his friend.

_Bloody espionage plans,_ he thought, barging into the corridor. Bloody Sirius - bloody O'Feel - why did he have to suggest the stupid captain? _Stupid, stupid, stupid_, James thought savagely. He stormed down the stairs, knocking over a third-year Hufflepuff and glaring at everyone who got in his way. He stopped at the Entrance Hall. It was totally packed - how was he going to spot them in here, for Merlin's sake? Slowly, the other students seemed to sense him seething there, and shuffled aside. Think fast, he thought. Think fast-

"EVANS!" he shouted, and all activity in the hall ceased. Everyone stared at him. "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU GOT TO?"

No reply.

"I KNOW YOU'RE HERE," he bellowed. _Improvise, James_. "YOU HAVE MY CHARMS BOOK, DON'T YOU?" he said, in a sudden stroke of inspiration. Still nothing.

"She's gone," a small voice said.

"Sorry?" he said loudly. Someone in the crowd pushed the speaker forward, a cowering little second-year Ravenclaw.

"I saw her pass through just a few moments ago," the girl lisped.

"Was anyone with her?" he asked.

"No. She looked a bit upset, though."

Merlin.

With a thousand swear words running through his head, James turned on his heel and marched in the vague direction of the Hufflepuff Common Room. And then he realised he didn't know where she'd gone, or where he was. If anything had _happened_, Lily wouldn't have made it look too obvious, right? She had a boyfriend, after all. She had to stay chaste, or whatever. For once, James didn't despise Terry Jones for tainting the pure Hogwarts air by breathing.

"Hey - PRONGS!"

"Padfoot." James didn't turn. "I hope you brought the Map."

"Even better," Sirius said. James could picture him grinning in triumph. "I brought the treasure."

That made him stop. "What?"

"Here I am, James, in one piece and not compromised in any way," said Lily dryly.

"Thank Merlin," he sighed.

"Yeah, Prongs doesn't do damaged goods - _oof! _Was that necessary?"

"I don't know what it was, but do it again," suggested James, turning to see his best mate and Lily. "It was more than necessary."

"You might've noticed that I'm a bottle of Firewhiskey short," said Lily. "I think spies need to report to their superiors, whether or not they had to be picked up in the middle of a mission, right?"

James stared at her. She was grinning wickedly; there was something fundamentally different about her, even though not a hair on her coppery head was out of place. After a moment, he realised what it was: she was so alive. Lily had always been a conservative sort of girl, keeping to herself and only being loud with her closest friends. He'd never seen her look so... exhilarated.

"Let's get back to headquarters, then," he said, a slow smile growing on his face.

"Good idea. And, by the way, I do actually have your Charms book."

"That was a joke."

"I know. But it was lying around, and I didn't want anyone to take it-"

"And it would've been very helpful for the essay on advanced water-producing Charms due on Monday," he finished. "Only one of us here is an expert liar."

"It was worth a try," she shrugged. "What was it you said about a successful mission, hmm?"

"Right, I know. Instead of access to my work, I could always tutor you, you know."

"Please. Not only would I risk my reputation as a star student, I'd also have to be stuck with you for longer than necessary. Forgive me if I have to decline," she joked. _"Gurdyroot."_

"Ah, you know you enjoy my company."

Sirius cleared his throat, following them through the portrait-hole. "Save the bedroom talk for the actual bedroom, could you?"

"Oi, shut up, Black." Lily elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"Ow - now I see why you became friends so quickly. You're both horribly touchy, very violent-"

"Lily!" Marlene hopped to her feet from the armchair by the fire. "You're done?"

"Did it work?" Bel asked.

"Everyone, to the table," James directed. "Agent Evans has some reporting to do." So they all gathered around the table. Ed, Marlene, Bel, Annika, Gina, Remus, James, Sirius, and Elyse all stared at Lily. "Evans?"

"Right. Well, it started when James-" here she shot him a pointed glare "-unceremoniously shoved me out of the Common Room."

"Did not," James protested.

Lily held up a hand. "Let me finish. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, alone in the corridor, a bottle of Firewhiskey hidden in my robes, and absolutely clueless."

Before

Despite herself, Lily realised she'd actually absorbed some bit of Sirius's insane lessons. She was still jittery - she had a boyfriend, after all, so it wasn't going to go far - so she calmed herself by composing a manual in her head.

The Art of Seduction  
As taught by Sirius "Padfoot" Black

**Step One: locate target.**

Right, she had no idea where Richard O'Neill was. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to check in the Great Hall. So she headed down there first, knocking over a third-year Hufflepuff on her way.  
"Oh, sorry," she said, scrambling to pick up the boy's books. Once they both had stacked the books in arms - Merlin, he was only thirteen, why did he have so many of them? - and he'd apologised several times, blushing furiously, she'd hurried on her way. He needn't have apologised, really, she thought. And why had he been blushing? Was it because of her? Well, that was rather flattering. So when Lily got to the Great Hall, she felt upbeat and confident.  
All that evaporated when she saw Rick O'Neill talking to a bunch of his friends at the Hufflepuff table. Her insides seemed to melt - what had James been thinking? She couldn't get a seventh-year drunk, leave alone seduce him. She felt absolutely terrible, but she couldn't just give up. All that free Charms work... What a waste it'd be if no one took advantage of James's eager lending. And why not her? She'd worked her arse off for five years. She deserved a break, right? That was totally un-Prefect-like, she knew, but even Prefects were human. She needed the help. And she could earn it. She walked up to the Hufflepuff seventh-years, and cleared her throat loudly. They all stopped talking and stared at her.

**Step Two: establish contact or communication with target (note- teacher prefers the former)  
**

"Ah, hello," she began. "Can I talk to Richard O'Neill?" Merlin, she sounded like she'd never heard his name before. He stood, giving her a questioning glance.

"Yeah?"

"Um, hi. I'm Lily Evans."

"Yeah, I know," he said, smiling. He wasn't all that bad, she thought. In fact, he was quite good-looking. If she had to squeeze the truth out of a drunk Quidditch player, she'd prefer him above average in the facial department.

"Aren't you the girl who James Potter fancies?" one of O'Neill's friends asked suddenly.

_Damn Potter_, thought Lily. There went her plan of pretending no association to the Quidditch team. She shot the boy a glare.

"Don't mind him," said O'Neill. "What did you want to tell me?"

"It's about the password change," she blurted out. Immediately, she felt stupid. The _password change_, of all things? "You know, for the Prefects' lavatories."

"Oh. Did Carragher and Daley change it again?"

"Er - yeah. Listen, could we talk in private?"

Finally, he seemed to take the hint and followed Lily out of the Great Hall. "So, what's the password?" he asked once she made sure no one was about.

"_Draconis_," she said.

He frowned. "But that's the old password."

"Oh, you didn't hear? They switched it to 'blueberry' a few days ago, and then they changed it back." Lily was rather proud of herself. No one would've doubted the story if they knew Susan Carragher and Rory Daley. In the back of her mind, though, she was completely aware of how totally ridiculous she sounded.

O'Neill snorted. "Blueberry?"

"Daft, I know," Lily said weakly.

"Yeah. Thanks, then." He turned to leave.

**Step 3: do not lose pre-established contact and/or communication  
**

"Er - wait!"

He stopped. "What?"

Lily searched her head for everything she knew about Rick O'Neill. Mary had buzzed about him non-stop after some scandal the previous year, something to do with... Diana Ackles? She discarded that bit of information. No, she'd heard his name somewhere... recently... She thought harder.

"What?" he asked again, sounding impatient.

"I don't know how to put this..." She stalled for time. She had it, it was right on the tip of her tongue - "But I heard about your sister."

**Step 4: find a weakness or metaphorical chink in target's armour  
**

As O'Neill stared at her, Lily was afraid he'd hex her or something. "Er, sorry, I didn't mean to pry. But a friend of mine lives near her, and that's how I found out." It was a passable lie, she supposed. Gina's voice was ringing in her head: _Reagan O'Neill, 20, was allegedly attacked by Death Eaters early on Monday morning after her outspoken support of Muggle Studies..._Thank goodness she'd been partly paying attention.

"Oh," he said.

"Yeah, it's really awful what happened to her. She's all right, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she should be better soon."

Lily nodded. "I just... feel so sympathetic."

"You do? No one's told me that before." He was looking at her differently now.

**Step 5: exploit this weakness without any guilt. **_**No guilt**_**, d'you understand, Evans?**

"Yeah. I'm Muggleborn, Rick. I know what it's like."

"All she wanted was to teach Muggle Studies," he sighed.

"It's one of my favourite subjects," lied Lily.

"Thanks," said O'Neill. "I was going to go visit her, but she told me not to miss our match against Gryffindor."

Lily's alarm bells rang like mad. "Let's not talk about Quidditch," she said quickly. He looked puzzled, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes; did all Quidditch players think the entire world loved the sport? "In fact," she continued, reaching for the bottle of Firewhiskey and holding it towards me, "let's not talk at all." He was so gullible, thought Lily. Her whole act was terribly see-through. He obviously knew nothing about her, or he'd have laughed her off ages ago. But he was gullible, and he grinned at her.

"Why not? Talking isn't my favourite thing to do."

That left no doubt as to what his favourite thing to do was. Lily took a deep breath. "Astronomy Tower? It's secluded."

After

James stared at her. "Don't tell me you threw him off the Astronomy Tower when he tried to cop a feel." If she hadn't, he thought he would.

Lily snorted. "Of course not."

"But he did, didn't he?" Bel said.

"That comes later. I just pretended to drink, and kept refilling the bottle-"

"Refilling? How?" James interrupted.

"Refilling Charm," she explained.

He raised an eyebrow. "That's what we start _next_in Charms, you know."

She smiled. "What can I say? I've got your book to study with." James grinned.

"Go on," Sirius prodded.

Before

The Astronomy Tower was bloody freezing. Lily pulled her scarf tighter around her neck, wishing she'd thought of that before. She'd heard that it was also a famous spot for late-night meetings, which didn't make sense at all. Who would want to freeze their buttocks off while sneaking off to their secret lovers, or whatever? O'Neill didn't seem to think of that; he sat down near the edge and patted the stone floor next to him. She sat down, and uncorked the bottle.

"To Muggle Studies," she said, and handed him the bottle.

"To not talking," he suggested. She only smiled, trying to hold back her nausea. To his credit, he was a fast drinker; he polished off almost half the bottle before he gave it back to her. "To new friends," he said.

"Er - yeah," she said, tipping the bottle back but not tasting a drop. After seeing the effects of Firewhiskey on more than one person, she'd decided she wouldn't have any until she came of age. Ten minutes later, seeing Rick O'Neill's state, she was glad she'd been sensible enough to make that vow. Even if it sounded prudish.

After

"You have a _teetotalle_r vow?" Sirius said, wrinkling his nose. "Merlin, that's prudish."

"Shut up, Padfoot, she's getting to the part where she actually finds out something from this dolt," said James.

"No, save the Quidditch talk for later," Annika said. "How'd you get away from him?"

"It was really quite simple-"

"Stop it, you're blowing up Evans's ego, Annika," James joked.

"Must I remind you that I'm doing you a favour?" Lily said.

"Right, right, sorry. Continue."

Before

"And that's it? You've got Adrienne Fell?" Lily asked in disbelief. "_That's_your brilliant plan to beat Gryffindor?" Maybe he was so drunk that he'd given her the wrong information. "What about James Potter?"

"What 'bout Potter?" O'Neill slurred.

"What's your plan for him?"

"Why'd you care s'much?" he asked suddenly.

"I'd love to see him beaten." Yet another easy lie. Maybe she was actually good at this.

He nodded. "We've got - Adrienne Fell."

"Grace Pepper's cousin?" Lily asked, deciding she should press the subject if he was so eager to go on about it.

"Tha's the one... Pepper taught her some mad moves last summer."

"Like what?"

"Like the... Wronski Feint."

Lily frowned. She might not be a diehard Quidditch fan, but she certainly wasn't stupid. "But that's a Seeker's manoeuvre."

"S'right. Tha's our plan with – Aaron Fletcher – the Seeker. He'll knock that Grady bird off her feet. Wanna know a secret?"

"Sure," Lily said, unsure.

"Adrienne never learned anythin' from Pepper. Tha's a cover. She's playing because Trevor sprained his wrist."

"What?" In her surprise, Lily forgot to be nonchalant.

"Yep," O'Neill giggled. "Tha's a cover. Fletcher's been training with Deirdre Donovan. He's 'specially good at the Irish techniques, 'n some of them are entirely new. No one knows 'em except for him and Deirdre Donovan!"

Lily had to physically stop herself from jumping up and down at her success. She'd heard the name more than once, during Elyse Grady's pre-match hyperventilating. Deirdre Donovan was the famous Irish Seeker, known for her precision and speed. Lily knew that Elyse was obsessed with Deirdre, and was her self-proclaimed biggest fan. So they spread the rubbish about Adrienne and Grace Pepper, covering up Fletcher and Deirdre Donovan... She had to admit, that was rather clever. "Nothing else?"

"Gryffindor won't know what hit them!" he said happily. If only he knew, thought Lily. "But tha's enough talking, dontcha think?" He was harmless, she told herself. He couldn't do anything when he was wasted.

And then he stretched out a hand towards her, brushing his fingers against her waist.

After

James tensed. She'd said that she hadn't been compromised in any way - she hadn't lied, had she? He ignored the juicy bit of information about Aaron Fletcher. "And then?" he asked, hoping his annoyance didn't show in his face.

"And then... I... er... hit him over the head with the Firewhiskey bottle," she said timidly, playing with the tip of her red ponytail casually.

Normally, James had an excellent sense of balance. But when he heard those words, combined with the return of closed-Lily, he fell off his chair.

"Ah, Prongs?" Sirius said. "Everything all right?"

James thought he would choke on his own laughter.

"Are you laughing or crying?" Lily asked.

"How can you miss the humour in this?" James managed to say. "Lily Evans just hit a seventh-year Hufflepuff over the head with a Firewhiskey bottle on top of the Astronomy Tower!"

"Oh, that image," chuckled Marlene, and soon, they were all in splits.

"It wasn't - that funny," Lily choked out minutes later.

"Admit that it was," James laughed. "Admit that you were about to explode with laughter even as you did it."

"Yes, all right - I'm dying of amusement here." Her dry tone was the exact opposite of her face, pink from laughing so hard and wet with tears.

"You're absolutely mad, Evans," said James from where he sat on the carpet. "I thought you might be like Moony, saner than the rest of us, but you know what? You're just as insane as I am."

"Is that a compliment?"

"It's only - an insult when - he compares you - with Sirius," wheezed Annika.

"I'm proud of my insanity," said Sirius. "And I am also heading back to the dorm. You do realise that it's nine-fifteen and we have a match tomorrow, right?"

"Oh, hell," Bel said, jumping to her feet. They all looked at James anxiously.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked.

"James has a strict nine o' clock curfew on the night before a match," Ed explained.

He waved them away. "Just this once. Now, I want you all to be snoring by the time I get to bed." There were murmurs of assent, and the rest of the team staggered up to their dorms, some still giggling and grinning like idiots.

"Good luck for the match, then," she said, smiling faintly.

"No worries. We'll definitely win now."

"As long as no one falls off their brooms."

He laughed. "We don't fall off our brooms. Especially not me." He glanced over his shoulder to check if they were all gone, and then turned back to Lily. "I've got a nickname for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm going to call you 'Red' from now on."

She pulled a face. "Is that because of my hair?"

He shook his head. "You remind me of the colour." Smiling to himself, he watched her frown in puzzlement.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That's all you'll get out of me." He got to his feet, grinning. "Maybe you'll find out someday, eh?"

That only infuriated her further. "That's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair, Red. Now, I'm afraid I must take your leave. Important match tomorrow, you know? I can't miss the hammering of Hufflepuff."

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE, I'd give you a longer, more eloquent version of that, but maybe later. Tell your friends, etc., etc. I love you all.

REVIEW.

Tessa.


	7. Hell & The Hufflepuffs

**Copyright Jo Rowling. Nothing here belongs to me... unfortunately. Cover belongs to the fab viria13.**

**A/N: **Be very proud of me, my friends. I miraculously uploaded this chapter during my tests. Okay, I put off my studying. But for a worthy cause, eh? Blame it all on A Moment Of Eternity for guilt-tricking me into it. Sorry for all the Alicia Keys! I'm pretty bummed that I couldn't keep the continuity, but James shows up in the middle. And you know, he isn't a girl on fire.

I should stop talking.

Thanks to **Potiusmoriquamfoedare**, **thearcherballet**, and **James Potter** (haha) for reviewing. I hope you all like this one! A billion, gazillion thank-yous to Paige, my lovely beta reader :3

* * *

VI: Hell & the Hufflepuffs

"_She's living in a world, and it's on fire__  
__Feeling the catastrophe, but she knows she can fly away"_

Alicia Keys, "Girl On Fire"

Part One: The Seeker & the Insecure

You had to be exceptionally talented to be accepted into a star Quidditch team full of upperclassmen when you were thirteen.

You had to be insanely talented to get into James Potter's Quidditch team when you were thirteen.

Elyse had heard all those things last year, when she'd made it into the team, and after a full year of easy wins, she knew she should've got used to the feeling. But she was feeling sick and nervous on Saturday morning anyway. She'd been like that the past week, screwing up practice, forgetting her homework, and, well, being a dolt in general. In fact, she was pretty sure that if Marlene hadn't been there to bug her about it all, she'd have landed herself in at least ten detentions already. James appointed her a 'tail' before a match, someone who would make sure she didn't do anything to miss the match. Elyse supposed that only proved how much they wanted her, but she always thought of herself as a kind of burden. All the other players this year were sixth-years - she got on fine with all of them, but they got on better with each other. Not that she felt left out or anything. That was stupid. But still...

"Hey - HEY! GRADY!"

_"Yeeees?"_ she sighed, looking around to see where the voice was coming from. It was very early, just about six in the morning, and she stood at the foot of the staircase to the girls' dorms. A fine mist hung about the Hogwarts grounds, but Elyse knew it would fade, leaving the sky perfect for Quidditch. She leaned against the stone wall, resisting the urge to bang her head on it and hence cure herself of this nervousness. But, she'd tried it before. It just inexplicably made it worse.

"Hang on a moment - I'm coming too," said the disembodied voice of James Potter.

"Where are you?" Elyse asked, peering around.

"Up the stairs. No, don't check, I'm not dressed."

Blushing scarlet, she ducked around the wall again.

"Only joking, Grade O. But I'll be right down."

She rolled her eyes at the nickname. James himself had christened her 'Grade O' – O for Outstanding – in an attempt to bring up her apparently low self-esteem. It wasn't very effective, but Elyse liked the feel of having a nickname that was a nice inside joke, especially since the Marauders' inside jokes tended to be insults. "Well, be fast. I'd rather eat breakfast without other people," she said. He didn't ask what she meant; to them, 'other people' were students who didn't dream of Quidditch 24/7.

"Patience, grasshopper" came the reply.

Elyse frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing. I'd forgotten you don't watch the telly. Quite amusing, really."

"What's the telly?"

He only laughed.

"Potter, don't tick me off before our match," she said. That sobered him.

"Sorry."

"I've never seen you in such a good mood before a game."

"Au contraire, Grade O. Technically, you haven't seen me yet. But, after our successful covert operation last night, you could say that I'm feeling rather chipper today." He practically sailed down the stairs, in his uniform, his tie loose as ever and his hair annoyingly messy. Elyse fought the urge to beat it down with the nearest dictionary. "Yes, I am indeed chipper."

Chipper. He was chipper.

Elyse thought she was going to be sick.

"Aw, don't be like that," said James, noticing her nauseous expression. "Come on, we'll go get an early breakfast and warm up."

"Oh, Merlin," muttered Elyse. "Oh, Merlin, I'm playing against Deirdre Donovan's protégé."

"Aaron Fletcher? But he's daft, Grade O. You don't have anything to worry about."

"But Deirdre Donovan..."

"Forget about Deirdre Sodding Donovan!" James's voice echoed harshly down the corridor as they pushed the portrait open.

The Fat Lady clucked her tongue. "James Potter. Language at this hour?"

"Quidditch match today," Elyse explained.

"Merlin, it's almost six! We might not even be the first ones in the Great Hall! Move it, Grade O!"

"Do we have to?" she moaned. "It's six!"

"It'll warm you up. Right, I'm timing you." James glanced at his watch. "Get going!"

Rolling her eyes, Elyse sped off down the stairs, James calling out encouragements from behind her. Every time she slowed, he yelled out insults, which wasn't nearly as helpful. Luckily, there was no one to collide into at this hour, or she'd have blown a path of destruction all through Hogwarts. But on the whole, Elyse thought, running into the Entrance Hall, there was no point in sprinting. After all, she wasn't running around a pitch after a ball - the though itself was exhausting. She skidded into the Great Hall, throwing herself onto the Gryffindor table. It took her a few moments to catch her breath; James followed at a sedately jog.

"That was decent," he said. Elyse knew she should accept that compliment gratefully; it was the most she'd get.

The house elves knew exactly how match mornings worked, she thought; the tables were already set, with the toast (for James) and the fruits (for her) right in the middle. She took her seat right by the huge fruit basket, and proceeded to slice up an apple.

"Merlin, Grade O, why don't you eat?" He shook his head in wonder. He'd already started buttering a slice of toast, before he'd even sat down.

"This is food," she said, eating a slice. "Besides, toast is too heavy for a Seeker."

He rolled his eyes. "At this rate, you'll be blown away." But he let it go. They had a pre-match routine, the Captain and the Seeker, and it always involved remarks on the Seeker's light eating habits. Elyse supposed a hundred other girls would've been drooling at the thought of breakfast with James Potter, but she was too busy hyperventilating about the match, and she didn't think of him that way. He was kind of like an older brother to her. "You won't be able to get on your broom," she retorted, picking up a pear.

He grinned. "Moot point. How's Herbology going?"

"Not so well." Herbology was Elyse's worst subject, which was very inconvenient when they played Hufflepuff. Professor Sprout was forever looking for reasons to tell her off, and Elyse seemed to hand them to her on a silver platter.

"Everyone's got a weak spot," James shrugged.

"Not you," she blurted out, unable to stop herself. She felt like punching herself - the bloke had already guessed she had issues, she didn't have to make it sound like she fancied him. For a split second, she saw the surprise on his face. Then it was gone, so quickly she wondered if she'd imagined it.

"But I'm me. Listen up, Elyse," he said, leaning closer to her like he was going to tell her a secret. She peered at him suspiciously. "You're a bloody brilliant player, all right? And if we win, it'll be because of you."

She blinked at him. Praise was practically unheard of from James Potter. "What-"

"Up already, eh?" Bel strolled into the Great Hall. "Ready to kick Hufflepuff arse?"

"Absolutely," James beamed. Elyse had no idea how they could be so overjoyed when Fletcher had learned from Deirdre Donovan - was there something she didn't know? "You're all set, right, Grade O?"

"Absolutely," repeated Elyse, swallowing the bile back down her throat.

"_Oh, she got both feet on the ground,__  
__And she's burning it down__  
__Oh, she got her head in the clouds,__  
__And she's not backing down"_

Alicia Keys, "Girl On Fire"

Part Two: The Best of the Beater

Marlene woke like a swimmer surfacing, taking a huge breath and clearing her mind. She stared at the scarlet and gold hangings on her bed for a few moments, picturing the Gryffindor lion in her head. Then she swung her right leg off the right side of her bed, sitting up on its edge and tying up her hair. She turned to her left next, analysing the weather. Near perfect, she judged, probably only a slight breeze, and a faint mist, if at all. She hopped off her bed, yanking her Gryffindor scarf off her bedpost and wrapping it around her left hand - her wand hand. She slipped her feet into sneakers, heading downstairs without a sound. She guessed she was a little earlier than usual, but Ed was still there waiting, leaning against the staircase with a scarf wrapped around his right hand. Wordlessly, she moved to him and knotted their scarves together. Then, ritual complete, they walked down to breakfast together.

The Great Hall was relatively empty, with Bel, Sirius, and Gina the only ones at the Gryffindor table. A handful of Ravenclaw seventh-years were watching them intently - probably bookies, Marlene thought - and half the Hufflepuff team were having a hushed discussion at their table. The Slytherin table was empty too; they must all still be planning their evil deeds for the day, she told herself.

"I know you aren't going to answer, but I feel the need to say good morning anyway," Gina said to Marlene. She didn't reply.

"Honestly, are you two in some kind of cult?" Sirius peered at them closely. "You're worse than Prongs."

Bel laughed. "No one's worse than him. He and Elyse are already at the pitch, changing or strategising or whatever."

"What's his plan about Aaron Fletcher?" asked Gina, lowering her voice.

"I don't know, but he definitely has one," Bel replied. "He was ecstatic when I saw him."

Sirius chuckled. "I bet Grade O was half passed-out."

"Of course she was."

Marlene wanted to say something, maybe defend Elyse or stop them from teasing her, but she couldn't. That would bring awful luck. Maybe she was being stupid and superstitious, but a lot was at stake. It was Quidditch, after all.

"What about you, Edgecombe?" Sirius asked. "You nervous?"

Gina sighed. "Of course I am, stupid. I'd be mad not to be."

"Mad, or James," Bel corrected.

"Almost the same thing." Sirius glanced over his shoulder at the Hufflepuffs. "They look upset."

Bel grinned like a cat. "Yeah, 'cause their Captain woke up hung-over and with an egg-sized lump on his head." Marlene and Ed didn't smile, but the others knew that if they could, they would.

"Hey, Chantais! What did you ride to get on the team? Or should I say, who?" The words marked the arrival of the Slytherins, guffawing at their own joke. Bel didn't even flinch.

"If that had actually happened, Dillop, you'd be wishing I was in Slytherin," she replied coolly, raising her eyebrow at Jay Dillop, the Slytherin Captain. Dillop scowled.

"Why don't you stay out of this?" Gina suggested. "You're not involved anyway." They all knew it was a hopeless idea, and sure enough, Dillop and his cronies exchanged derisive glances.

"I'm not gonna lie down and take this, Edgecombe," he said. "It's pretty obvious that Potter picked all his mates, and Grady's only on the team because he's-"

"Because he's what?" Sirius said dangerously. Marlene glanced at him anxiously; she knew he had a soft spot for Elyse. Dillop didn't reply.

Bel laughed this off too. "Yeah, sure. James Potter is totally shagging Elyse Grady. That's about as likely as you fucking around with your cousin there-" she waved at Queenie Flint "-except, oh, wait! That actually happened! Funny world, isn't it? Incest abounds."

Queenie bristled. "You b-"

"Tone it down, Flint," Gina said. "Wouldn't want to be throwing around insults, because those soon turn to hexes, don't they?" At Queenie's perplexed expression, Gina turned to the doorway, which Lily was standing in.

"It'd be a shame if you lost points for it," Lily agreed, coming over to sit by them. "Although, you don't really have much to lose, do you?" All the Gryffindors looked at the hourglasses that held the Slytherins' emeralds. Ever since the Lila Incident, it had been just a thin layer of green at the bottom. The Slytherins turned away, muttering to themselves. Lily flashed a triumphant smile at all of them.

"Good morning. You look happy, so I'm assuming it's a good day for Quidditch?"

Sirius raised his goblet of pumpkin juice to her. "All because of your ingenuity, Evans, and a nice hand with Firewhiskey bottles."

Lily shrugged. "I try."

"It's time, Marlene, O'Neill's here," said Gina. Indeed, the blonde Hufflepuff was storming over to their table, his expression furious. Relieved, Marlene sat up straighter. She and Ed had a pre-match ritual – don't say a word until the other team's captain showed his ugly mug. It was a lucky thing, too – O'Neill looked like he was going to burst a vein.

"Evans, what did you to me?" he demanded. "The last thing I remembered was talking to you, and then I wake up with a mad headache!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lily said, piling pancakes onto her plate.

"Like hell," he scoffed. "Did you hit me? With a bottle?"

She looked up at him. "Richard - I can call you that, right? Anyway, Richard, you look pretty hungover. Now, I don't know about you, but I seem to remember McGonagall strictly banning Firewhiskey. As for your bottle-related delusions, again, you look pretty hungover."

"This is for Potter, isn't it?" he guessed. When Lily didn't answer, he said savagely, "I'll get you both, that arrogant bastard and you, you little wh-"

"Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?" Marlene said quietly. He looked up, startled, as if he hadn't realised she was there. She was pleased to see the apprehension on his face. He glanced over his shoulder at the Hufflepuff table. "I thought so too. Let's keep the war on the battlefield, yeah?"

Without another word, he turned on his heel and went to his table. Satisfied, Marlene spread a light coat of butter over her toast. "I think that was a very nice way to start my day."

Gina laughed, shaking her head, and turned to Lily. "Where's Mary?"

"She wasn't in," she replied. Though it wasn't a very revealing statement, everyone seemed to get her meaning.

Marlene rolled her eyes. "Not again."

"I think the best way to start _my_ day would be to change the topic," chimed in Ed. They all laughed.

"Fine, no more mention of Mary's sexcapades," Gina grinned. "Pass me an orange, would you, Black?"

Sirius obliged, but Marlene noticed that his expression was unusually dark. She felt like a dead weight had settled in her stomach - no, _no_, nothing was going to distract her from Quidditch. She breathed slowly to calm herself. "Are you lot done? It's nearly seven now. They'll be waiting."

"And Prongs doesn't like to be kept waiting, we know." Sirius rolled his eyes, back to normal. "Best be off."

"Good luck," Lily said. "I won't exactly understand what you're doing, but I'm rooting for you!"

Marlene laughed. "You better be, Lil."

They all went to the locker rooms together, talking about how wonderfully clear the sky was. Elyse and James were already there, changed into their robes.

"...and Donovan also likes to emphasise on focus," he was telling her. "When you spot the Snitch, you shut out everything else and concentrate on catching the thing like your life depends on it."

"Except yours actually does, Grade O," Sirius said. "I reckon Prongs'll kill you if Hufflepuff beat us."

Elyse looked green. "Ignore him," Marlene said, shooting Sirius a glare. "He's just being the twat that he is." She nodded, but Marlene wasn't sure she'd listened.

"Got a prep talk for us today, Cap'n?" Bel asked, slipping on her Keeper gloves.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Everyone, do your own bleeding job, please. Nothing else is required of you. They're telling everyone about Fletcher and Donovan now, hoping it'll throw us off, but obviously, that's not going to happen. Speaking of him, Dearborn and McKinnon, I hope you plan to unleash your best on the brat today."

"That'll be hard work. The kid's so scrawny, he's barely there," Ed remarked. "But your wish is our command, Captain."

"Good," James said. "Then get out there."

"And kick arse," Marlene finished. "Oh, we'll do our best, all right."

"_Got a dream, got a spark, got somewhere to be"_

All Time Low, "The Reckless And The Brave"

Part Three: The Chaser's Chivalry

"Captains, shake hands," said Madam Hooch.

James walked up to O'Neill, giving him a once-over. The bloke was really looking worse for wear. He had dark circles around his eyes, a disgusted expression, and a big lump on the side of his head. James had to stifle a laugh when he saw it. Maybe he should've got Lily to be a Beater.

They shook hands, each one trying to break the other's knuckles. James's hand, thankfully, braved the storm. He waited for the whistle, tense and ready to speed towards the Quaffle. The crowd became a mad mix of colours, and Hooch's whistle shrieked, the red Quaffle becoming all but invisible in front of the Gryffindor stands. And that was his cue. In a moment, the wind was roaring in his ears and singing to his blood as he wove through the Hufflepuffs towards the Quaffle - bloody hell, where was the thing?

"Potter!" James followed the voice, swerving left just in time to catch the Quaffle. Gina gave him a thumbs-up, soaring ahead towards the Hufflepuff posts.

James could hear Gary Dervish's commentary now that he'd slowed down. "And Gryffindor in possession of the Quaffle already - nice reaction from Edgecombe, easy pass to Potter - he's getting closer-" Merlin, were all commentators this annoying? James always wanted to strangle them. Play-by-plays were only fun when he was giving them. He ducked another Hufflepuff, dodged a Bludger, and threw the Quaffle. It flew in an easy arc past O'Neill, who gave a shout of frustration.

"Ten-nil to Gryffindor already! Fell with the Quaffle now - oh, lovely interception by Black!" James grinned at that. "Black passes to Edgecombe - ouch, that's gotta hurt!"

James could hardly believe his eyes. One moment, Sirius had darted in front of Gina to receive her pass, and the next, he was spiralling down - down - down - he shot off towards his friend. He and Madam Hooch reached Sirius at the same time, about ten feet from the ground, and supported him between them.

"Padfoot - can you hear me?" James said loudly. His forehead had a huge gash on it, and blood was trickling from it like the rubies that counted Gryffindor house points. "Oi, PADFOOT!"

"Hold on, Potter, let's get him to the ground," Madam Hooch said, and together, they set Sirius down on the grassy ground. Out of the corner of his eye, James saw another Gryffindor dismount, but he couldn't tell who. Hooch was checking his breathing, and bandaging his wound.

Marlene ran up to them, flinging her club on the ground. "Oh, hell," she whispered. "Does he have a concussion?"

James snapped out of his daze at that question. "Of course he bloody has a concussion! That git Arnold Llewelyn smashed him in with his club!"

"I'm still alive, don't give away my Muggle models posters," Sirius croaked suddenly.

"You prat!" James glanced at Madam Hooch. "He can't play, can he?"

"'Course I can. I don't have a bleedin' concussion," Sirius scoffed, getting to his feet. James was surprised to see that he was relatively steady - years of having too much to drink, he supposed. "My broom's fine, isn't it?" The rest of the team had come too, hovering nearby anxiously.

"Yes, it is-" began Hooch.

"Then I'll play," Sirius said.

"Mate, you sure about that?" Ed asked. "You look pretty banged up."

"The only banging that's going to happen is during the after-party. Now, are we going to get on with it, or what?"

"I can't let you play, Black," Madam Hooch said.

"He's fine!" James protested, taking up his cause. "It's only a little cut, right, Padfoot?" Sirius nodded emphatically. "Just give us a penalty, and we can continue the game."

Madam Hooch eyed Sirius suspiciously. "Any funny business and I'm taking you out. You'd be a little smear on the grass if you fell from those hoops."

"No worries, Madam Hooch," grinned Sirius. "Let's get on with it, eh? Show these Hufflepuffs who's boss."

James shook his head. "You're absolutely mental, Padfoot."

"No more than you, mate," Sirius said sagely.

Well. He supposed he couldn't really disagree with that.

They all mounted their brooms again, flying up to the pitch with Madam Hooch. "Black is back on his broom, but it's a penalty to Gryffindor," Dervish was saying. "James Potter going to take it..."

James accepted the Quaffle from Madam Hooch. Yes, he was bloody well going to take it - knock the bleeding socks off stupid Richard O'Neill. He faced O'Neill calmly, pulling his arm back and counting to three, his eyes fixed on the rightmost hoop.

Three. O'Neill followed his gaze.

Two. James tensed; it was too late to change now.

One.

And he thrust the Quaffle clear through the leftmost hoop.

The Gryffindors erupted in cheers, and James fought the grin off his face. "That's twenty-nil to Gryffindor - they're off already, Harris of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle-"

James sped after Jeremy Harris watching Sirius and Gina circle ahead. Suddenly, Gina dipped below Harris, and Sirius shot upwards right in front of him. James had been expecting it; he flew at Harris, streaking past just close enough to ease the Quaffle from his grip. He twisted away from the Hufflepuff, making sure to hesitate long enough for Harris to follow him. He turned, heading back towards the Hufflepuff hoops - "Potter with the Quaffle now" - when he caught sight of something coming startlingly near. Then, he did something completely uncharacteristic.

He dropped the Quaffle.

"Merlin, if I didn't know better, I'd think I imagined that - _James Potter_ just dropped the Quaffle!" There was a stunned silence, and James would've smiled if he hadn't been so busy wondering how they could have so little faith in him. Even McGonagall looked horrified. Not that he blamed her - he was supposed to be her Quidditch star. He barrelled away from the Bludger that had been aiming for him, hearing it thunk satisfyingly into Jeremy Harris. All those stupid gits barely seemed to register the fact that he'd dropped the Quaffle right into Gina's hands, and that she was dodging past the Hufflepuff defence.

"Is that - yes, that's Edgecombe with the Quaffle! It seems Potter didn't lose his grip, he was passing! She's headed towards the goals, ooh, well-aimed Bludger from Danny Finkle, but she's past it - and past O'Neill too! Thirty-nil to Gryffindor!"

James gave Gina a nod as she swooped back, high-fiving Sirius. She grinned at him. "No need to play hard to please, Potter. You're overjoyed that manoeuvre worked out."

He shrugged. "I knew it'd work out. Now, get moving! This isn't practice, Edgecombe, the Hufflepuffs have started already. Isn't Harris your mark?"

"Going, going. And he's going to pass to Fell anyway." Gina flew away from him, and he swerved towards the third Chaser, Albert Barnes. Barnes glowered at him, and he smirked back. Barnes turned back to the middle of the game, no doubt about to tell Adrienne not to pass, but the Quaffle was already zooming towards them - and straight into James's arms.  
"Thank you," he said cheerily, weaving past a Bludger and ducking Jeremy Harris's clumsy attack. Really, Hufflepuff were barely a threat, he thought. Fletcher wasn't even watching the pitch the way Elyse was. So much for Deirdre Donovan's brilliance. The Hufflepuffs were vague blurs of yellow as he shot towards O'Neill, scoring again - by throwing the Quaffle under the bloke's broom and into the hoop. O'Neill looked positively livid. Wait a second - was that-

"Hey, Potter," he said, quietly enough so that only the two of them could hear. "I'm surprised you haven't got at Lily Evans yet - she's so easy, she's nearly a tart-"

James knew he wasn't supposed to rise to the taunt. But he could feel the colour rushing into his cheeks. It was actually good that what happened next happened, because otherwise, he might've socked O'Neill like he deserved. At that moment, Albert Barnes fumbled with the Quaffle, and Sirius was ready to snatch it up. James was right next to the hoops, and scoring would've been a cakewalk for him, but Sirius must've read something in his face, because he took the shot himself.

"Nice one," James called to him, keeping his eyes on what he thought he'd seen - or was he hallucinating?

Sirius winked. "Don't play nice, Prongs." Then, as he passed by, he said in a lower tone, "Rein it in, mate."

He honestly didn't know what was wrong with him. Since when did he get distracted during Quidditch? Shake it out, he told himself. And he was being warned by Sirius, of all people. This was an all-time low.

Adrienne Fell caught O'Neill's pass, and James darted after her - it didn't matter if Sirius was supposed to mark her, he needed to get away from bloody O'Neill - she was going to pass to Barnes, why wasn't anyone doing something - James wanted to yell - WHERE WAS GINA? And then he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

Two slim figures on two brooms, parallel to each other, speeding towards the ground like they were determined to get a mouthful of mud.

"And it looks like Grady and Fletcher have spotted the Snitch - pretty quick, if you ask me-"

If James had been anyone else, he would've written it off as Elyse's skill. But even from where he hovered, he could see Fletcher slightly ahead of her. It was time to move. He took advantage of everyone's momentary surprise - unprofessional, he thought - to pull the Quaffle away from Fell, and passed to Sirius.

"Keep them busy," he hissed urgently. "And don't give them the Quaffle."

"What're you doing?" Sirius asked.

"Saving the bloody day."

They parted ways just as a Bludger zipped through the air where they'd been. James didn't even look over his shoulder to see how they'd play with two Chasers. He went straight for the Seekers.

"I think Potter fancies catching the Snitch himself," said Dervish, arousing cheers and laughter. James blocked all that out. They'd understand soon enough.

He was suddenly very glad for his broom, the latest Nimbus model, because it was faster than both of the Seekers'. He dropped faster than them - they were fifteen feet above the ground, any longer and his plan would fail - Elyse turned to look at him, her eyes wide. She quickly looked back at the Snitch - except there was no Snitch.

"Near the Hufflepuff hoops," he said hoarsely. She understood instantly, her eyes widening and mouth creating an 'O' in understanding, and pulled out of the dive, zooming away. Fletcher's face went pale, his eyes following her - stupid Fletcher, James thought. He'd better be grateful when his sorry arse was saved.

They were ten feet off the ground.

James jumped.

Suddenly, the grass was too close - and then it was in his face. And then there was a searing pain in his arm. And then Fletcher tumbled onto him. Stupid Fletcher. Bloody Hufflepuff.

"And Gryffindor's got the Snitch-"

_Thank Merlin_, he thought. _Ah, this hurts – oh, bloody hell.  
_

And then everything went black.

"_So bright, she can burn your eyes_

_Better look the other way"_

Alicia Keys, "Girl On Fire"

Part Four: The End of the Chase

Lily took the steps two at a time on her way to the hospital wing. James looked like he'd had a pretty nasty fall, poor bloke. And she was being a good mate, checking up on him. Well, she was a little late. He was probably awake already. But who could blame her? She didn't really understand this friends-with-James thing very well. Where did it start and where did it stop? She wasn't sure if she was supposed to have rushed to the hospital wing as soon as the game had ended. But her indecision had faded as soon as she'd noticed Terry giving her a look. The sad, rueful you-haven't-answered-me-yet look. She'd said that they could have another shot. And then he'd asked her out to Hogsmeade. She supposed she was kind of obligated to go, having said they could have another shot, but he'd understood her hesitation. Or so she hoped. Their Hogsmeade maybe-date loomed a week away. And she still hadn't answered. That wasn't fair of her. She knew it. But after last time - and she couldn't even talk to anyone about it. Lily sighed. Maybe what she needed was a raucous Gryffindor party. Merlin knew she'd have one on her hands anyway.

The entire Quidditch team was already there, lounging around and chatting with Sirius, who was in a bed but conscious. He was telling the people near him something about a party and a cockatrice, to much applause. No one really noticed Lily, so she hovered near James's bed first. He seemed fast asleep, his left arm in a cast, an assortment of little scratches crisscrossing his skin. Lily hid a smile; he'd be devastated over the damage to his precious face. Speaking of which, his expression was wonderfully devoid of a smirk. She'd read about people looking younger and more innocent in their sleep, but she'd never thought that was applicable to James - because how could he look innocent?

It appeared that he could.

There was a slight smile on his lips, not the arrogant one that usually rested there. She wondered if he was dreaming of Quidditch. She smiled too; maybe she could get used to this innocent, semi-drugged James. And then he opened his eyes.

"Red," he said urgently - how could he remember her new nickname as soon as he woke up? Lily would never understand it - "did we win?"

"Of course we did," she replied. The others in the wing turned to look at them, realising that James was awake.

He sank back into his pillows. "That's good. That's really good." He yawned. "Make sure Pomfrey doesn't come back, all right? She'll never let me get back to the Common Room tonight."

"Is it really that important?" asked Lily, eyeing his cast warily.

"Yes. Party tonight, remember?"

"Not particularly."

"Come on, Red. I'll shake you out of your stupid celibacy vow."

She wrinkled her nose. "It isn't a celibacy vow. Do you even know what you're saying?"

"Barely. Pomfrey gave me a thousand Calming Draughts."

Lily laughed. "What were you trying to do?"

"Bust out and see if we won."

"You're mad."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No, YOU are."

"Am not!"

"Are TOO!"

"Am NOT!"

"ARE TOO – are we really having this conversation?" Lily asked, bemused.

"Yes, we are," he told her seriously. "And you're mad too."

"OI, PRONGS!" Sirius shouted from across the aisle. "You better be in form for tonight's party!"

"See?" James turned to Lily. "They're counting on me!"

"Yeah, so you can head back and get yourself completely drunk."

"It's only Butterbeer!" he protested.

"James, I'm not daft. I've been to one of those parties before, and I know that you all have access to Firewhiskey."

He sighed, shaking his head sarcastically. "You're such a supportive friend. I shake my head sarcastically at your friendliness."

She shrugged at him mockingly. "I'm not stopping you. I'm just _saying_, shrugging at you mockingly."

"You're Prefect, Red. Your word is as good as law."

"You're _ridiculous_. I thought this fall would've knocked some sense into you."

To her surprise, James looked terribly smug at this. "It was a pretty brilliant fall, wasn't it?"

"And what exactly were you trying to achieve, aside from early death?"

"Red, the things you don't know..." He leaned back. "I'm not going to do this for only one person."

"You want an audience?" Lily arched an eyebrow. He arched one back at her. She sighed. "Everyone, James is about to reveal his reasons for almost committing suicide."

"It'd be lousy to go like that, with Aaron Fletcher on top of you," Marlene commented.

"That makes it sound very dirty," Sirius snickered. Then, seeing the murderous look on James's face, he added, "Right, go on."

"When Fletcher dived," James said, "it wasn't for the Snitch."

"Yeah, we know that," Gina said.

"Yes. The Snitch seemed to be hovering near our friend O'Neill for most of the match. Maybe it finally hit Fletcher that Grade O is a far better Seeker than he is, so he needed to take her out. Whatever it was, he tried to execute the Wronski Feint." The hospital wing rang with laughter.

"That's mental - _worst_ Wronski Feint I've ever seen!" Sirius said.

"Donovan obviously didn't do a very good job with him," said Marlene smugly.

"Yeah, Elyse was catching up with him too fast," Gina said.

"Correct," continued James. "Grade O was good enough to notice, with a little help from me, that there was no Snitch, at a height of about... thirteen feet?" Elyse nodded. "She was able to safely pull out and get the real Snitch."

"It was still on the Hufflepuff side," she put in, frowning slightly as if she'd just noticed something wrong. Lily glanced at James curiously, but his expression betrayed nothing.

"And there you go. My sacrifice was so that we'd win."

There was a smattering of applause, and James grinned. Madam Pomfrey chose to come in then, shooing them out furiously.

"You, Black - nothing more for you, you're free to go. No, not you, Potter - leave him alone, Pettigrew! The boy just fell off his broom, for Agrippa's sake!" she cried. "Give him some rest! Or I won't let him out for your party," she added viciously.

They went out, groaning and muttering, until Lily was left puzzling things out next to James's bed. Pomfrey eyed her. "Did you hear me, Miss Evans?"

"Yeah, Madam Pomfrey, just a second." She turned to James. "James Potter doesn't fall off his broom."

He grinned teasingly, cocking his head at her, and lounging in his pillows. "What's your point, Red?"

"You jumped."

"I'm not suicidal."

"You jumped because Aaron Fletcher would've gotten seriously hurt if you hadn't been there for him to - er, fall on." As she thought about it, she realised it was the right - or at least the most likely - answer. "You're a Quidditch maniac. You, of all people, would know what it's like to hit the ground at that speed."

"Are you surprised? You sound surprised. I'm a Gryffindor, you know, Red."

"Yes, a mad, mad Gryffindor," she agreed. "But a chivalrous one. Merlin, I can't wait to tell everyone!" she said, bouncing up and down in strangely vindictive delight.

"Don't you _dare_." He sat up straight. "Mates don't do that to each other."

Lily grinned. "I'll hold this over you forever. The day you saved a scrawny, bratty Hufflepuff from a dreadful fate-"

"I'll keep the party in control," he pleaded. "Just don't breathe a word about that."

"Will you really?"

"Yep. Even if I'm absolutely sloshed, I'll make sure no one else is."

"Fine. Sounds good to me," she smiled.

"Sounds pretty damn awful to me," he groaned, "but my reputation is at stake."

"And what's more important than your reputation." Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm heading out, all right?"

"You do that. But tonight, I'll have a bottle of Firewhiskey with your name on it. I mean to loosen you up a bit, Red." He winked, and she rolled her eyes again.

"Miss Evans! You're still there," called Madam Pomfrey.

"I'm leaving in a bit!" she yelled back. Then she faced James. "You'll have a hard time. I'm known for being uptight. I bet my mates will think it's good for me, this loosening business."

"That's what mates are for," he smiled.

Smiling, Lily turned and skipped out of the hospital wing, thinking that maybe James Potter wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**A/N:** And I apologise for how short this one is - I feel really awful about it! Don't worry, things get longer later. I think. Anyway, for people who are all miffed at Lily's 'celibacy' vow - everything has a significance.

Please review, you guys are what keep me writing!

Love,

Tessa


	8. A Night Of Firsts

**Everything belongs to JK Rowling, and not me. Sigh. Cover art by viria13.**

**A/N:** Sorry I took so long with this! Although, I think we should have a round of applause since I got this up with exams a week away haha. So, first of all, I'd like to apologise for this chapter. Really. Sorry in advance. I swear this was going to be a happy, partayyy chapter. And I won't say anything more.

Thank you all for your reviews, **thearcherballet**, **Nina**, **Potiusmoriquamfoedare**, **James Potter**, and **A Moment Of Eternity**. You guys are really supportive, and I'm lucky to have such fab reviewers :) and also, you did guilt trick me, A Moment Of Eternity. Do not lie.

And of course, my amazing beta, Paige - where would I be without you :)

The next update will probably be a while, but I swear I'll make it good to make up for the lateness :) And now let me not detain you!

* * *

7. A Night of Firsts  
_"So fire up that fiddle, boy,  
And give me one last drink"_  
Enter the Haggis, "One Last Drink"

"PUT THAT BUTTERBEER AWAY THIS INSTANT!" Sirius roared. "THE PARTY DOESN'T START TILL PRONGS GETS HERE!"

"And what about me?" asked a voice behind him.

"You too, Mac, you too." He turned around after giving the offending fifth-year a last glare. "Where were you the whole match?"

She blushed. As soon as he looked at her, he noticed that her lips weren't covered in lipstick - like someone had smeared it off - and that there was a light swell to those lips - like someone had pressed them, or kissed them - and that her platinum hair was ruffled - like someone had run their fingers through it. Sirius was used to noticing things like that about people, but he was rather regretting that ability just then. "I came," she said, ignoring his question. "I saw you fall. Does it still hurt?"

Sirius raised a hand, touching the now-healed cut. "No. But it's a perfect excuse to drink myself to my death."

She grinned. "Bet I could hold in more than you."

He laughed. "You're challenging eons' worth of alcoholic genes, Mac. Bet I could hold in ten times more than you."

"Yes, we'll see about that when you're lying in your own sick."

"All the girls will be so disappointed," he sighed.

"Because you'll be lying in your own sick?"

"Because I won't be able to play Jackpot."

Mary doubled over laughing. "Sirius Black, you did not just say you're playing Jackpot."

"I didn't, actually. I implied it."

"Still! It's a stupid game, and encourages all sorts of unsavoury behaviour," she teased, waggling her finger.

"Unsavoury? We're perfect gentlemen, us Jackpot players. Are you suggesting that you wouldn't trust me if we met during a round of Jackpot?"

She snorted. "I'd be sure to avoid you at all costs."

He waggled a finger at her. "This time, we'll do your challenge. But next party, I'm going to get you to play Jackpot."

"We'll see," Mary smiled. "I think James is up any minute, yeah?"

"Should be. See you drunk to your death, Mac."

"See you in your own sick," she replied, vanishing up the staircase to the girls' dorms.

"You guys call her 'Mac,'" Hannah's voice said from behind him. "Like, short for 'Macdonald', right?"

"Yeah," he said, turning to see the American girl in an armchair by the fire. "Why?"

"Just reminded me of that old jumprope rhyme." When she saw Sirius's confused expression, she said, "You know, 'Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, all dressed in black, black, black'..." She trailed off, seeing it was useless.

Sirius suddenly felt the lack of booze.

Luckily for him, James chose that moment to swoop in through the portrait-hole. "Where's the party?" he shouted. Most of the Gryffindors were still loitering around the Common Room, and they all gave him an answering shout. They surrounded him instantly, jumping and cheering and lifting him up onto their shoulders.

"Sorry, mate," said Sirius, when James had been passed from person to person and finally hopped down near him. "I can't join you in Jackpot today."

"Shame on you, Padfoot. Can't you take pity on an injured friend?"

Sirius eyed his arm. "You aren't even in a cast anymore, you dolt."

"But the injury is still there!"

"Pomfrey fixed up your face too, I see."

"I'm not me without the face. Anyway, why are you bailing on Jackpot? Think of all the ladies you'll be disappointing!"

"Mac had the audacity to suggest she could hold in more liquor than me."

James chuckled. "And good luck to her. Oi - Moony! Why are you still here?"

Sirius turned; their friend had just slipped down from the dorms. Remus looked exhausted, as if a horde of centaurs had been trotting up and down his back the entire day. "Yeah, I'm going." He smiled wearily.

"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?" Sirius asked quietly.

"I'll be fine. You lot enjoy the party. Don't come after me, all right?" And he stumbled out of the Common Room. James and Sirius exchanged glances.

"I'll check," James said, "at midnight, if I'm not too drunk."

"I'll come with you. Merlin knows we'll probably need each other to stand."

They watched the portrait-hole uncomfortably.

"Moony'll be fine," Peter said, appearing beside them. "And I'll go if you're too drunk."

"We'll all go," Sirius promised. "Now - BRING OUT THE FIREW- _BUTTERBEER_!"

A passing Lily rolled her eyes at him. "I knew you had sources," she said to James.

Sirius stared at her back in awe. Had she just passed up a chance to scream at James? She was leaving the Common Room, knowing that they'd be partying inside - who was that, and what had she done to Lily Evans? "She isn't stopping us!" he said incredulously, staring at James.

James grimaced. "Yeah, because she expects me to. You'll be back later, won't you?" he called after her.

"Maybe. I just want to check if I've got any letters."

"See you!"

Lily waved at them over her shoulder, the portrait-hole closing behind her. Sirius just blinked at James. "Prongs, did you say she expects _you_ to?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. It seems like I won't be playing Jackpot either."

Sirius shook his head. "She's an awful influence on you, mate."

"Just wait till she gets to you."

He snorted, snatching a bottle of Butterbeer from a passing fourth-year girl. The girl whipped around angrily, but blushed and hurried away when she realised who he was. "Please. I'm too impure to be _purified_ at this point. Bottoms up, I've got to find Mac."

James nodded. "Don't forget - midnight."

"Of course not."

_"All my life I've been so lonely  
All in the name of being holy"_  
Marina and the Diamonds, "Buy the Stars"

Lily tugged her scarf tighter around herself, shivering in the draughty Owlery. The owls, in a myriad of browns and blacks and greys, hooted and ruffled their feathers at her entry. Lily cracked a smile.

"Sorry to interrupt your parliament," she said. The owls still looked at her with their huge, luminous eyes. She skirted around their cages until she came to Lennon, who was hopping excitedly. Lily grinned at him, feeding him a treat. "What've you got for me now?" She didn't know how, but she'd known that Lennon had letters for her. He hadn't come in at breakfast, and she wasn't expecting a letter... but she knew. If she had felt like being a romantic, she'd have thought of it as the call of destiny. Of course, being a romantic was a little hard when you were surrounded by the stink of owl poo. There was a little scroll of parchment tied to Lennon's leg, and she tugged it free carefully. Unfurling it, she recognised the elaborate, slanting cursive immediately. She smiled as she skimmed through the letter:

_Dear Lil,  
How are you? Sorry I didn't write you earlier, we had a lot of moving in to do. Frank and I are both wonderful; you must come and visit sometime. And, do you know, Mrs. Longbottom – oh, Merlin, that's me too - isn't all that bad, once you get used to her. She's a little intimidating, but rather nice.__  
I'm surprised at how much I miss Hogwarts. I mean, I always knew I'd miss it, but it's really awful how much I hate being away from it. I'm starting to wish that I was still a scrawny, shy little first-year, so I could do it all over again. And I'd still make the same mistakes, only this time, I wouldn't regret them. You should love your time there, Lil, because you've got so little of it left. I reckon you've heard that before, and now you think I'm completely off my rocker, but I'm dead serious. The real world is about twice as boring as History of Magic class, and half as gossipy! Live Hogwarts while you're there! Do a whole load of mad things that I never did because I was too stupid - like, try out for the Quidditch team even though you're rubbish (we both know you are, no need to be modest), or ask out a seventh-year you've been dreaming of, or hex every couple at Puddifoot's on Valentine's Day. Hmmm. I've always wanted to do that. Maybe you should start slow. Get completely sloshed at one of those legendary parties that the Marauders are always throwing. You're a Prefect; Merlin knows you deserve a break from being all straight-laced. Live a little, yeah? Because I didn't.__  
Nostalgia aside, I have found something to occupy myself with. I probably shouldn't even be speaking about it to you... But I trust you, Lil, and I'm pretty sure you'll end up doing the same one day. Never mind me, just ignore this entire bit, all right?  
Love,  
Alice  
_  
She was surprised at Alice's tone - she'd never have imagined her insisting that getting drunk at a party was a good idea. But, Lily reasoned, you couldn't do that sort of thing once you graduated - or if you did, it wouldn't be the same. She pulled out her own parchment, and a quill. She'd already written one letter to her mother, and she fastened that to Lennon's leg. She sat down on a stool - which was, luckily, not covered in droppings - and began to write.  
_  
Dear Liss,  
I'm absolutely spiffing. Everything's just the same. I don't know if Gina's told you, but she's on the Quidditch team now. Mary's being her same mad self, Marlene's being Marlene... we got a transfer student, weird as it seems. She's from America. Does that ever happen? I made up with Sev too... So everything is the same. Like I said.__  
Except when Ed and Peter were Imperiused - they weren't hurt, don't worry. It was this nasty incident with messages, and a Death Eater - Lila Romanov, would you believe it? But Dumbledore checked all her friends, and none of them had the mark. So that's good, right? I should just ignore the weird feeling in my stomach. I should be so relieved that Sev isn't one of them. But that's just it - I shouldn't have even doubted him in the first place! Does that make me a bad friend, or a clever person? Or a suspicious person, even? Like I'm just waiting for something to go wrong? Okay, I'm being ridiculous. Let's talk about something else.__  
You remember Terry? Yeah, he asked me for a second chance. And since I seem to be handing them out to everyone these days, I thought I shouldn't spare him. That's all right, I suppose - but I'm always so afraid it'll start again. I haven't told anyone about it - not even you - and I know I can't, because I know what they'll say. They'll tell me to stay away, because he's bad news. But I can't. I'm already thoroughly mixed up in it... and I can't just leave in the middle of it, right? That makes sense. That would just be heartless. He needs someone to help him through it, through all of his... drama, and he wants it to be me. It's hard, though.__  
Oh, and here's what'll interest you the most. Guess who's my newest mate - James Potter. Yes, I'm serious. He's actually been pretty decent to me, aside from one time when he involved me in his evil plan to seduce information from Richard O'Neill - long story. He's also brilliant at Charms, a subject which I seem to be getting progressively worse at. But don't tell him that. We have a sort of tentative friendship, and he's promised not to ask me out all the time. My first instinct was to wonder what he gets from it. But maybe I should rethink that, because, well, our truce doesn't give him anything at all. Except my friendship, that is. Maybe I was wrong about him all along, Liss, maybe he is actually deeper than he appears. Whatever has the world come to? I mean, I've always thought of him as a Gryffindor, reckless and mental... but never properly brave. What if he's brave and good, Liss? I'll have to rethink my entire life. James Potter's arrogance was something of a fundamental truth to me. What if I_

Lily heard footsteps, and she crumpled the parchment in her fist, getting to her feet. Her heart was pounding in her chest, even though she hadn't done anything wrong, not really. The clouded sunset bathed the Owlery in pale pink, silhouetting the figure who ducked into it. She shoved the parchment into her pocket, making a mental note to burn it when she got back to her dorm. It wasn't like she'd planned on sending it anyway.

"Hello?" she called out, squinting to see the newcomer.

"Lily? Is that you?"

She relaxed. It was only Terry - but the unfinished letter in her pocket was starting to feel like a bowling ball. "Yeah. Just sending a letter." She wanted to smack herself - what else would she be doing in the Owlery?

Terry came towards her, his owl perched on his shoulder and hooting softly. "Me too. I'm surprised you aren't at the party."

She shrugged. "You know I don't really like that sort of thing."

He nodded, a cloud passing over his face. "I don't mean to be pushy, but-"

"Yes," she blurted out. "Yes, I'll go with you to Hogsmeade." He smiled. "Sorry I didn't tell you before - I was caught up in a lot of Quidditch stuff," she lied.

His smile only widened. "Nice try. I know you better than that, Lils. You don't concern yourself with Quidditch at all."

She laughed, hoping he wouldn't hear the nervous note under it. She could hear him clear as day - _please, just don't tell anyone, don't even mention it_. "It was an attempt. I'll see you next week, then?"

"You'll see me all through this week," he corrected. "Slughorn's trying to make up for lost time. He's scheduled Slug Club meetings every day."

Lily grimaced. "I'll do my best to wriggle out of them."

"He really likes you. He'll probably reschedule them for you," Terry teased.

"Ugh, no thank you. Maybe we can wriggle out of them together."

He raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

"Well, I've never heard your views on Mr. Darcy..."

They both laughed. It was common knowledge that their idea of an in-Hogwarts date meant a loud discussion about a book, or a show on the telly. He held her hand for the briefest instant, and she intertwined her fingers with his. "You have a party to get to," he said softly.

"I don't really want to go," she said, smiling.

"I'm not going to keep you from one of those raucous Gryffindor parties. One of us should experience those."

"What're Ravenclaw parties like?" Lily asked, grinning now.

"Oh, we all gather around the fire and trade opinions on Marxism."

Laughing, Lily let Lennon out of his cage and through the window. The sun was disappearing behind the mountains, its last few rays filtering through the emergent cloud cover, into the rich blue sky. The golden sunlight swirled into the inky blue, and an inexplicable sense of euphoria swelled up in her heart. She turned around, kissing Terry lightly on the lips and skipping out of the Owlery. "See you!" she said over her shoulder, and he smiled so sweetly that it broke her heart, giving her a little half-wave.

She stopped at the first open window on her way back, pulling out the balled-up parchment from her pocket. She set it on the windowsill, and, taking out her wand, she whispered, _"Incendio."_ The parchment burned brilliantly for a brief minute, before becoming dark grey ashes. She blew them out into the grounds, thinking that it was for the best. Maybe she couldn't get the weight of her secrets off her chest for now, but her words might someday lend life to the grass below.

She looked down the empty corridor, feeling light. She had a party to attend.

"_Rate yourself and rake yourself_

_Take all the courage you have left_

_Wasted on fixing the problems that you made in your own head"_

Mumford & Sons, "Little Lion Man"

James was quickly learning that he would've made a terrible Prefect. His parents had been disappointed - but not really surprised - when his letter had come devoid of a Prefect badge, but he'd made up for it by getting Quidditch Captain. Being Captain, he reflected, was a little like being crowned Lord of Revels, except not in so many words. Being Prefect was more like being crowned Prude of the Year. It was a little strange that one of the Marauders should be Prefect, but it was starting to make sense. Remus could put a leash on them, and who else was there to choose from, really? Lily, on the other hand, had been entirely expected. She'd been crafted from a mould labelled Prefect. And she had a teetotaller vow. James wondered if McGonagall knew about that. She'd probably love her twice as much, then.

"Alridge, no Firewhiskey till the juniors are in bed," James said wearily, plucking the offending bottle from a fourth-year. "Prefects' orders."

"The Prefects aren't even here!" Tommy Alridge protested.

"A rule's a rule. Can it, all right? We can get them all up by nine-thirty."

"It's barely seven! Come on, Potter!"

James sighed. Idiots like Alridge always made him want to hex the entire room.

"Absolutely not," chimed in a third voice. "The Prefects are here, Alridge. Now, shove off." Alridge slouched away, despondent, and James gazed at Lily like she was a goddess.

"You saved me," he said. "Here's to you, Red." He raised the Firewhiskey bottle to her, uncorking it. But she grabbed it from him.

"I don't think so. What happened to responsibility?"

"But you're here for that now!"

"I'm only here because I couldn't concentrate on my homework in my dorm. You lot are _that _noisy."

"Hey, it isn't every day that we cream Hufflepuff like that! They didn't score even once! They barely had possession!" James grinned at the memory.

"I was there, and I was fully conscious the entire time. I know, James. I'm not complaining. But I'm not drinking either." She raised an eyebrow at him.

James sighed. "Why not?"

Her smile faded. "Because - I have my reasons!" she snapped, a touch of pink blooming in her cheeks.

"I'll let you alone if you tell me your reasons," he bargained.

"No! They aren't mine to tell," she said.

"So you're abstaining because of someone else? Who?"

"Stop it, James. I've got to make sure Mary isn't half-dead yet - she challenged Sirius-"

"I know that, they can take care of themselves. Why won't you tell me? I promise I won't ever-"

"Why is our friendship made up of deals?" Lily interrupted suddenly.

"What?" James blinked at her, taken aback. There was a definite flush to her cheeks now, her green eyes glinting sharply.

"You heard me. You had to bribe me to be mates-"

"And that's _my_ fault?"

"What kind of a relationship is that?" she said, loudly.

"Red, have you had something to drink? Seems to me like you're just picking a fight." He eyed her suspiciously.

She flicked a lock of red hair back furiously. "Shut up!"

"I thought you agreed to try and make this work," James continued. "How does that involve you questioning its very foundation?"

"Its 'very foundation' is underhand! Look at it, all right? First, there's your stupid deal. Then, there's ages of insults and fights and-"

"Its foundation is not underhand!" Suddenly, James didn't care that he was practically yelling. He didn't care how many people heard; what was wrong with her? She knew nothing. Absolutely nothing. She was the one who kept pushing him away, while he was trying to make it work. And he'd been trying to enlighten her for years. He wanted to punch something, or shout some more. The people nearest them didn't even glance their way; a James/Lily fight wasn't uncommon enough to attract an audience. "I asked you because you might've _died_ the previous night, all right?"

As soon as the words slipped out, he regretted saying them. He hadn't even thought them properly, because he didn't want to hear their implications. Speaking it out loud somehow made it more real. Lily's frown was easing away, her eyes growing wider and wider.

"Nothing _happened_ to me," she said quietly, after a moment of reflection.

"That's not - oh, forget it. Let's just pretend I didn't say that, all right? Now, if you'll excuse me..." He snatched the Firewhiskey back from her, and started to turn away.

"But you promised-" she began timidly.

"To hell with that," he said viciously. "You don't approve of deals anyway, do you? Go on, tell everyone. Do you even care that I'm trying?"

The frown was back. Good, he thought savagely. Hopefully, she'd start yelling back. Merlin knew it was better than shouting at a wall; he'd tried that too many times. "Of course I care!" Point proven.

"But you won't take back what you've said, because you're too bloody proud! No, Lily Evans has so many problems in her perfect life, she's got no fucking time for regret!" Now people were staring; Mary and Sirius had frozen in the middle of their game, both of them looking mildly worried, ready to rush to their friends' help at the drop of a hat. Peter hovered nearby, no doubt ready to convince him that he'd had too much to drink. But the truth was, he'd kept to his word. He hadn't tasted a single drop.

"You've called me arrogant ever since day one," he hissed, taking advantage of her stunned silence. "But you know what? When it comes to me, you're just as stubborn and proud as you claim I am!"

That got to her. "That is absolutely not true! You're so self-obsessed, you think everything's about you!"

"Yeah, that's right," he said spitefully. "Blame it on the arrogant toe-rag, why don't you? You know what, Evans? Forget this friendship. It was a stupid idea, bound to fail anyway. Just stay the fuck away from me." And he made a point of taking a swig from the Firewhiskey before he walked away from her.

_"My song has not been sung,  
So long live us"_  
All Time Low, "The Reckless And The Brave"

Marlene clinked her mug of Butterbeer with Ed's.

"Good game today," she said, smiling. Her mind was pleasantly warm, in the state that was lightly muddled with alcohol. Which was why she was sticking to Butterbeer for a while. She didn't know how many times she'd said that sentence to her teammates, but she was fairly sure that she hadn't said it to Ed yet. Or so she hoped.

He smiled back at her. "Yeah, you've said that. Thrice already."

"Whatever," she muttered, lightly blushing. "I bet the Marauders spiked the Butterbeer."

"Sure tastes like it," he replied. "But I don't really feel like stopping."

"I don't blame you. It's pretty good, for spiked Butterbeer." Marlene rested her head on his shoulder, thinking. "Have you ever thought about... what you're going to do after Hogwarts?" She realised they'd never actually talked about it before. It was surprising, considering the number of times she'd had that discussion with her other friends.

He laughed; she felt the rumble of it. "You're drunk, Mars."

"Am not!" she protested. "I'm just a little tipsy. Answer the question."

"Of course I have."

"Bet you're one of those people who's gonna be an Auror."

Ed smiled. "And how'd you know? My subjects are a bit of a giveaway."

Marlene considered this. "No, I think it's just who you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I dunno. You're kind of... righteous. You'd fight for what you believe in. And you're not afraid of action. All that kind of points to future-Auror."

"I suppose so. It's what I've always wanted to do."

Marlene just nodded. She might've been tipsy, but she wasn't far gone enough to lose control. She bit back what she'd been going to say: I wish I could be so sure. "That's good. Confidence is... good."

For a moment, they were both silent. Then they burst into laughter. "You're drunk, Mars," Ed told her between laughs.

"I am not - all right, maybe a little," she conceded. "It could be worse."

"It could be." He grinned. "What about you?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you thought of what you're going to do after Hogwarts?"

This caught Marlene off guard. She hadn't really expected him to ask her in return, but she supposed she should've seen it coming. Maybe she'd started the conversation knowing he'd ask her - so she could finally just tell... "Not really," she said truthfully.

"Are you joking? I thought someone like you would plan their entire life out."

"I guess so. But I've never really... had the chance to think, y'know?"

He frowned. "What d'you mean?"

_Here it comes,_ she thought. "I've been meaning to tell you-" But James's voice interrupted her. "Just stay the fuck away from me," he said loudly, making both Marlene and Ed jump.

"What's that about?" she asked, suddenly grateful for the change of topic. It had been right on the tip of her tongue... And maybe it should stay there.

"Who knows. James is like that."

"I guess so," Marlene said again, hesitating, but taking his word for it. She'd seen his explosive temper more than once during Quidditch practice. "Lil's probably at the receiving end of that."

"And good luck to her," Ed sighed.

"Yeah, I'll say." Marlene sipped her Butterbeer, savouring its frothy warmth.

"You were saying something?"

"No," she lied easily. "It's nothing."

He was frowning a little, but he nodded and looked away. They both stared at the chaos in the Common Room, dimmed for a moment in the wake of a furious James Potter. The lights were starting to get brighter, yet more blurred. It occurred to Marlene that spiked Butterbeer might not be the best way to throw off a light drunken haze. But she'd deal with the consequences for now. The voices and colours swirled in her mind for a moment, scarlet and gold flashing before her eyes. And then she realised that she had evaded Ed's questions before, but she'd never once lied to him. Not before that night.

_"She hid around corners  
And she hid under beds  
She killed it with kisses  
And from it she fled"_  
Florence + the Machine, "Dog Days Are Over"

Gina learned that night that a drunk singer was even better than a sober one. She wasn't really sure what time it was when Annika waltzed down with her guitar, strumming a Celestina Warbeck song. Gina let her voice go, filling up the air like heady smoke. Somewhere between the third verse and the last chorus, she thought that she must be really, truly sloshed if she was singing Celestina Warbeck in public. It didn't really matter what she was singing though, because everyone around her had stopped to listen. Even Mary and Sirius timed their drinking to her song.

As she sang, she looked around the Common Room. Most of the students were older than fourth-year, so the Firewhiskey was making its rounds. James flopped onto the couch beside her, taking the Firewhiskey from her.

"That's mine," she said, stopping mid-sentence.

"Now it's mine."

"I've got a crowd of people who'll beat you up if you don't let me go on singing."

He grinned. "Would they really beat me up? I'm the reason we're having this party."

She scowled at him, hoping to persuade him into giving the bottle back by flailing her arms. It seemed like a good idea. "All right, there's me bested. Aren't you a genius?"

"Nope, I'm a mad, reckless Gryffindor," he said. He handed the bottle back to her, lighting a cigarette from his pocket.

"Where are your mad, reckless fellow Marauders?" she asked, stifling a yawn. Her audience drifted away from her, realising the performance was over.

"Padfoot's over there, Peter's... around, and Moony's-" he froze, blowing out smoke slowly.

"Yeah?"

"Moony's visiting his mum tonight," James said slowly. "Excuse me, Miss Warbeck."

She hit him with a pillow. "It was a weak moment."

"You've been singing Celestina for the past two hours."

Gina rolled her eyes. "Give it a rest, Potter."

Annika scooted closer to her when he'd gone. "Everything's all right with Sarah, isn't it?"

Sarah Keyes was their band's drummer, a spunky, home-schooled brunette who lived near Gina. Gina and Sarah had always been very close... But Sarah seemed to be drifting away of late. Maybe it was that boyfriend of hers that Gina had yet to meet. "Yeah, mostly," she replied. "And Elle?"

"Elle is Elle," Annika shrugged. "In her last letter, all she said was that she hates Beauxbatons, so nothing is new."

Gina sighed. Elle Laurent was Annika's distant relative, the band's bassist. Elle had always been rather far away, physically and mentally, but she was the best songwriter Gina had ever seen. The last letter Elle had sent her had been oddly matter-of-fact, and it'd said some crazy things... and Elle had told her not to talk about them to anyone. She'd kept her word, but all her talk about the future of the band... It gave her a headache to think about it. "We aren't falling apart," she said to herself. She didn't realise she'd spoken aloud until Annika looked at her strangely.

"Of course we aren't. It's a Witching Hour rule - never drift apart."

Gina smiled. The Witching Hour was going to be a real, known band. If it was the last thing she ever did, if she had to sing till she died, she would. For her, music was more than a dream. It was... a need. Singing came to her like breathing. She felt like she couldn't live without it. Or maybe that was the Firewhiskey talking. Gina couldn't tell. But the four of them would do things that no one had ever done before. She just knew it, in her heart.  
She glanced at the staircase to the girls' dorm, thinking of a scroll of parchment in her trunk, signed Elle.  
Maybe it was time she faced those plans for the future.

_"But I'm not yours to keep"_  
Marina and the Diamonds, "Buy the Stars"

Mary let Gina's enchanting voice wash over her. It was a happy song, called 'Fly Into My Arms', but somehow, the tune that rang in her head was melancholy and slow. She eyed her Firewhiskey idly. She was fairly certain that she wasn't a sad drunk. Or was she? Anyway, she wasn't properly drunk. She clinked her glass with Sirius's.

"Cheers," she said, without slurring, looking straight into his eyes. She smiled at his surprise. He'd underestimated her, of course.

"Cheers," he said, sounding equally sober. "You're better than I thought, Mac." He reached for the bottle, and refilled both their glasses.

"Yes, I tend to surpass expectations." She sipped from her glass, watching Sirius's grey eyes flicker like rekindled ash. She didn't know if it was from the drink, the reflection of the fireplace, or something else altogether. "Aren't you tired of this yet?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you giving up?"

"No. I just don't feel like drinking anymore." She wanted to Apparate a thousand miles away as soon as she said that.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He watched her carefully, his fingers tapping the rim of his glass.

"I didn't mean it like that." She glanced around herself. She couldn't see Marlene. "I should leave."

"Aren't you going to let me puzzle you out first?"

"Lily's probably been upset ever since her fight with James. I should go talk to her."

"You're something else, Mac." Sirius studied her so intensely that she blushed. "You're confusing me with all the signals you're sending."

She stood. "I'm not sending you any signals, all right? Just ignore them if you think I am." She pushed her half-full glass towards his empty one. "You win."

James came up to them then, smoking, hesitating a little when he saw Mary's expression. "Ah - Padfoot, it's nearly two in the morning. You don't mind if I borrow him, do you?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "I'm not the one you should ask." And she hurried up the stairs without a backward glance.

_"All by myself  
I'm here again  
All by myself  
You know I'll never change"_  
Ed Sheeran, "Drunk"

Remus glanced out of the window, at the pale outline of the moon behind the clouds. He'd been lucky; the clouds had held the transformation at bay for a while, though he could feel the ache in his bones now. From the position of the silvery light, he guessed it was around midnight, or a little past. Turning, he stared at the door, leading out into the hall. He'd asked them not to come, but he hoped they would. They did it all the time, coming when he told them to stay away. Any moment now, he'd hear their voices coming through the secret tunnel. James would comment on the Shrieking Shack's lovely decor, fraying lace and mouldy armchairs that hadn't been touched for years. Well, until he'd come. Sirius would say that the entire place smelled, and that it was all his fault. Peter would anxiously call out to him, asking if he was all right, which really translated to, 'are you human?'

Remus hated it - as if anyone could possibly like being a werewolf - but it had become more bearable since he'd found his friends. They'd figured it out back in second-year, and had come up with their 'brilliant and very dangerous plan' the year after that. He'd never endorsed their idea of becoming unregistered Animagi - Merlin knew lesser wizards had failed - but on an unspoken level, he'd been ecstatic that anyone could care so much. They'd understood that. True, Sirius had had a lapse of judgment the previous year, but that was done. Gone. Over. Remus valued his friends more than anything.

He sat in the middle of the floor, grimacing at the dusty carpet. He hoped they'd saved a drink for him. He'd need it in the morning. He gazed at a chair that he'd splintered during a particularly bad transformation. Hopefully, tonight wouldn't be as bad.

Suddenly, his body spasmed with pain. Remus bit back a groan as the transformation racked tremors all over his skin, as if something inside him was trying to break out. It slowly cut off his thought, eating away at his senses. He arched his back, gripping the carpet. He dimly registered the ripping noise that followed, ignoring the fact that it sounded like a scream of protest. It was cut off by a mad, agonised howl, as liquid silver poured into the room - or was that moonlight? It seemed to burn his eyes.

He desperately tried to remember his name - something with 'r' - what was 'r' anyway? He didn't know anymore. The room swirled before his eyes, and he held onto the shredded carpet like it was his fading humanity.

The last thought he had before the wolf took over was the realisation that, for the first time, his friends hadn't come.

* * *

**A/N:** ...and that's the end of another chapter. How time flies.

Happy Valentine's Day in advance! How many of you guys are gonna be sitting around reading Jily one-shots and sobbing into your pillow? I, for one, certainly will be. Maybe with some chocolate.

Review, _please! _I'll give you cookies if you do...

Love,

Tessa

PS: you know you want those cookies.


	9. Possibilities

**JK Rowling owns everything. *dramatic sigh* Cover art by viria13.**

**A/N:** YAY NEW CHAPTER! So, first off, thank youuu to my amazing beta **Paige**, who edited this when she could have been studying math - which she enjoys doing for some reason. And she also took the time to notice my careful irony yay! A cupcake for you, Paige! And also, thanks for the reviews! You guys make me so happy naww :3

**A Moment Of Eternity:** yes I know what most people thought haha that was my intention :)

**Nina:** IT WAS THEM NOT ME. I SWEAR. Ok there is no need to yell at me across our lunch circle about it. Calm your farm, dear. You know how it's gonna end anyway. Whoops, bad reminder.

**thearcherballet:** yes, she really does need to, doesn't she. Thanks :)

**James Potter:** thankssss :) um, sorry? haha

**stefanie437:** YOU ROCK TOO. And thanks again for the review :)

**Charlotte Donahue:** naww thanks :3 and I'm all about the secondary characters, woot!

**pensprevail:** no mary sues YES! mwahaha. i am proud of myself. Oohhh Mars, just WAIT AND SEE. Sorry. I just get really excited about my secondary characters ok.

Pleeeease review I'm really nervous about this chapter :/

* * *

8. Possibilities  
_"And it was not your fault but mine,  
And it was your heart on the line,  
I really fucked it up this time  
Didn't I, my dear?"_  
Mumford & Sons, "Little Lion Man"

Lily sat up with a sick feeling in her gut, the morning light dappling shadows through the dorm. For a moment, she didn't know why the feeling was there, and then, the previous night hit her like a hammer to the head. She groaned, collapsing back onto the pillows. Why had she even said all that? She'd thought that burning that parchment would make her feel better. She knew that James hadn't deserved to hear it like that. Even if she had her doubts, she should've sorted them out herself. And now she'd made it worse.

_Just stay the fuck away from me._

It was surprising, how words that had glanced off her like harmless feathers for so many years, pierced her like arrows now. He'd known exactly what to say to tick her off - of course he did. He'd been successfully doing it for more than five years.

And, Lily realised, she wasn't just upset because she'd hurt him. She wasn't upset because she wouldn't get the perks of being James's friend. She was upset because she'd stepped on that chance, that possibility. What might have been.

She stumbled out of bed, staring at the clear sky outside. She decided she'd have an early breakfast, think for a bit, and then go apologise. She'd need the time to find the right words.

Lily figured that an early breakfast was all she needed to avoid her three sources of stress. Sev was never early to breakfast - he always came down just in time to grab a slice of toast before class. Terry came to breakfast with all of his friends, so he was never too early. And James was a notoriously heavy sleeper. With that thought in mind, she practically skipped down to the Great Hall, expecting to find it empty. The sun was just beginning to tinge the sky, and even the enchanted ceiling was dark. And as though it was the most normal thing in the world, Elyse Grady sat at the Gryffindor table, nibbling at a strawberry.  
She smiled when she saw Lily. "Hi, Lily. I don't usually see you up at this time."

Taken aback, Lily said, "Uh, yeah. I'm not actually an early riser."

"Oh. So you're not going to make this a habit?" Elyse looked crestfallen.

"Probably not. I just came down to think."

The fourth-year nodded. "I could use some company, even if you'll think more than talk."

Lily sat down opposite Elyse. She noticed that the other girl was fully dressed already, her hair tied back neatly. "You always wake up at this time?"

Elyse smiled a little ruefully. "'Early to bed, early to rise' is kind of my family's motto."

Lily nodded, piling pancakes onto her plate. For a while, they sat in comfortable silence.

"So, what're you doing in Hogsmeade this weekend?" Elyse asked.

"Er... I've got a date," Lily said. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone else stepping into the Great Hall.

"Ooh." Elyse grinned. Then, she looked at the figure who'd just entered. "Hi, James. Nice to see you up so early."

Lily froze, her pancake halfway to her mouth. Very slowly, she turned to look at the newcomer. To her horror, she saw that it was James, in his nightclothes like she was, still looking sleepy and confused. He was standing stock-still, one hand in the middle of ruffling his own hair. Mirroring Lily's feelings, his expression morphed into shock. It became anger for an instant - and then cool indifference. Lily wanted to dissolve into a puddle on the floor. Belatedly, she realised that an early breakfast would have helped her avoid him, but it could also help someone else avoid her.

"Anyway," Elyse said, oblivious to the tension between James and Lily, "what about that hot date of yours?"

James unfroze at that, and came to stand next to Elyse. "Yeah, Evans, do tell." He filled his plate with just about anything and everything on the table.

_Evans._ Were they back to that phase now? Lily had never thought she'd miss her infuriating nickname. She mentally shook herself. She needed to seize this chance. "Let's talk about that later. Can I speak to you in private, James?"

He gave her a scornful look, as if he didn't want to be caught dead speaking to her in private. "Whatever for? Moony's fine. He says patrol on Wednesday is all right with him - you did switch to Wednesday, didn't you?" He started to lay breakfast out on another plate.

"Yeah - but that's not why-"

"Bye, Grade O," he interrupted, picking up both his plates and swiftly striding out of the Great Hall. Lily sighed, her appetite suddenly vanishing. She pushed her plate away. Elyse was watching her sympathetically.

"He's cross with you, isn't he?" she asked after a moment.

"Yeah."

"He'll get over it."

"I don't think he will." Lily sighed and stood up. "I'm really not hungry anymore. You don't mind if I...?"

"Go on," Elyse said, still smiling sympathetically. "I know what it's like."

"Thanks. Maybe I'll make it up to you some other day. I've got loads of Potions homework."

Waving at Elyse and giving her unfinished pancakes a last regretful glance, Lily left the Great Hall. As she climbed the stairs to head back to Gryffindor Tower, she passed Sev and his friends.

"Hi," she said, pleased that she could talk to him again, despite the tiny twinge of apprehensiveness she felt.

"Hi." He smiled at her. "Done with Potions yet?"

"No. I thought I'd head over to the library and start it. Come with me?"

He nodded. "I'll just grab a bit of breakfast."

Lily waved goodbye, and took the stairs two at a time. The Common Room was slowly filling up, people strolling down and chatting amongst themselves in the leisurely way they saved for Sundays. Someone had thrown the windows wide open, letting in the crisp November air. Lily breathed in deeply, closing her eyes. It was going to be fine; she was friends with Sev, and she would resolve this James thing in no time at all. All he needed was a little talking to.

Just then, James hurtled towards her. "HEY, WORMTAIL - Padfoot, where's Wormtail?" Lily turned around to see Sirius shrug. James ploughed through the growing crowd. "WORMTAIL! Ahem, move aside, Evans." He didn't exactly sneer at her, but he was wearing something that looked rather like a glower.

All right, maybe not exactly no time.

Lily hurried up the steps to her dorm, where Marlene, Gina, and Mary were getting ready to head down to breakfast.

"There you are!" Gina said. "Merlin, Lil, why were you up so early?"

Was it really that surprising? "I just needed to think."

Mary smacked her forehead. "Shit, I forgot all about it - the James thing," she explained at their confused expressions. "I meant to ask you about it when I came back up to the dorm, but you were already asleep. Did you talk to him?"

Marlene snorted. "Really, Mac? She's Lily. She went down early to avoid him, not talk to him."

"That didn't work," Lily sighed. "He decided to come down early too."

"So did you sort it out?" Gina asked.

Lily hesitated. "Sort of."

Mary raised an eyebrow. "Sort of?"

"Er - he just needs a little more convincing. See you guys later, I've got to go meet Sev at the library." Lily grabbed a handful of clothes and hurried into the bathroom to change. As she hurtled back to the Common Room, Mary called, "If you're doing Potions, hurry up, because I'm going to copy off you!"

"I know!" Lily shouted back.

By the time James stumbled to the Great Hall again from the hospital wing, breakfast was in full swing. He'd already eaten, since he'd been delegated to bringing Remus breakfast. He'd also been delegated to get the post, so he'd left his mates behind to wait for the owls to arrive. He sat beside Ed, vaguely listening to the girls' conversation about something or the other.

"But he's so dreamy!" Mary was saying. "Have you seen the bloke?"

"Of course I have," Gina said, sounding mildly disgusted. "And I really wish I hadn't. Obviously you looked at the wrong picture, Mac-" She stopped halfway through her tirade at the rustle of hundreds of feathers. James glanced at the owls with relief; finally, he could go back to the hospital wing. He collected one letter for himself, one for Remus, and one for Peter. Finally, he picked up a bundled up Prophet, and stood. He was just about to leave, when Hannah gasped, still standing, and said, "Oh, my God."

It was that word, that last word that stopped him. When someone said 'Merlin', you should be worried. When someone said 'God'... You should be terrified. James froze on the spot, hardly daring to speak. All the blood had drained from Hannah's pretty face, and her fingers shook as she held the Daily Prophet. Mary eased the paper from her hands, and James said, "Is everything all right?"

Hannah blinked rapidly, her eyes focusing on the paper as though it was the only thing she could see, swaying as if she were about to faint. "No," she whispered.  
The whispers started about then, and furtive glances were thrown her way. Suddenly, everyone was either looking at her or talking about her. James felt a dead weight in his stomach, the mood in the Great Hall becoming suddenly dark. Ed shoved a copy of the paper his way, tapping a column in the side. "Read this," he said grimly. Picking it up and straightening his glasses, James peered at the article.

_American Wizards Found Dead  
Grant Madison, wife Celia, and son David were found dead in their Surrey residence late Saturday night. After neighbours reported strange flashes of light, a team of Aurors headed by Caradoc Dearborn went to investigate, where they found all three Madisons dead in the living room. Reports show that the Madisons, who recently emigrated from America, were likely killed by the Killing Curse, as there is no sign of physical harm to them.  
_

James skipped ahead until the end:

_The Madisons appear to have only one living relative: their daughter, Hannah, who is at present, a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
_

So, just like that, she was an orphan. James looked up from the paper at her. He was surprised to see that she wasn't crying, just staring blankly, her eyes wide and her lips parted in surprise. McGonagall was hurrying down from the teachers' table, her lips pressed together tightly. She put an arm on Hannah's shoulder.  
"Hannah, the Headmaster would like to see you," she said, gently but firmly. Hannah nodded, and stood up shakily. No one knew what to say; they'd only known the girl for one month. Mary reached out and squeezed her hand.

"I won't say it's going to be fine, because it won't ever be," she said quietly. "But you'll make it through, okay?"

James thought he'd never seen her so serious. Hannah nodded again, and walked out with McGonagall, her cheeks still dry.

"That's an awful way to find out," Ed muttered. "A letter might've helped - but I suppose they had no time to do anything."

No time. It was a crazy, un-James thought, but he suddenly knew that whatever happened, he wouldn't want his kid to be an orphan. He thought of his huge house, with all the house elves, and happiness, and his parents - he wouldn't want his kid to live without all that. James shook himself. Since when was he so philosophical? It was probably because they hadn't pranked anyone recently. Gathering up the post, James strode out of the Great Hall. He pulled his cigarette pack from his pocket, and lit one, making sure to blow the smoke right at the Head Girl and Head Boy. He grinned at their furious expressions.

"Ten points from Gryffindor!" Susan Carragher spluttered, waving her hand in front of her nose in a desperate attempt to clear the air. "No smoking on school grounds, Potter!"

James laughed. "And who's going to stop me? You?" With that, he continued walking, extremely pleased with himself. He'd been worrying that his badness had faded away, what with all the time he'd spent with Lily. The thought soured his mood a little, but he reminded himself that it was over. No more being her friend. He didn't have to worry about anything; it was all back to normal. He was too self-centred for her anyway... He forced himself not to remember the details of that conversation. They'd already missed the full moon with Remus the previous night, and he couldn't make it up to him in a terrible mood. He pushed the doors to the hospital wing open.

"The post is here!" he called.

"What took you so long?" Remus asked from his bed.

"Read it and weep," James replied stoically, tossing the Prophet at him. "Hannah's family was murdered."

"That's horrible," Peter said, after stuttering in shock. "Who do they think did it?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "The Death Eaters, who else?" He snatched the paper from Remus, scanning it for the article. "She okay?"

"She's talking to Dumbledore." James pulled up a chair and flopped into it, handing out the letters. As always, he braced himself for some change in Sirius's expression when he noticed that he was the only one who didn't have a letter from his mother. He didn't react; instead, he glanced at Peter's letter idly. James didn't bother opening his own; instead, he watched Remus read his. His friend looked just the same as he did after a transformation: tired, drawn, pale. He knew it would fade eventually, the way the moon waxed and waned.

"Stop staring at me, Prongs," Remus said, without looking up from his letter. James grinned, dropping his cigarette and forcefully grinding it into the floor with his heel, letting out his frustration. Peter stared at the ashes.

"Madam Pomfrey will murder you for that."

"What she doesn't know won't kill her," James said serenely.

"Thank Merlin, James is back." Sirius lounged back in his chair, rolling up the Prophet again. "I was beginning to think you were gone for good."

James laughed. "I'm too impure to be purified, Padfoot."

_"And I will hold on hoping,  
I won't let you choke on the noose around your neck"_  
Mumford & Sons, "The Cave"

When Lily rushed into the Potions section of the library - after a thorough telling-off by Madam Finch, the librarian, about running through the library - Sev was already there, sitting at their usual table. Since the OWLs Incident, Lily had come there so many times alone, but she realised it wasn't the same. Just seeing him at their table was enough to make her push aside all her other doubts and bask in the light of their renewed friendship. This time, she'd make it work.

"Hi," she said happily, setting her books down with a thump.

"Hi. I've just got to write the last few lines of my Charms essay. Wait for me, would you?"

Lily nodded, but frowned. She glanced at his parchment. "Sev, that essay was due two weeks ago."

He shrugged. "I didn't get around to finishing it."

"Flitwick's going to be furious."

"Doesn't matter."

Lily lapsed into silence. It wasn't like him to simply not finish his work, and then not care about the consequences. Sev was responsible - wasn't he? They'd fought for a few months. He couldn't have changed that much, could he?

There was an awkward silence then, and Lily searched for something to say. Finally, she noticed the rolled-up newspaper in his bag. "D'you mind if I read this?" she asked, pulling it out.

"Go ahead," he said without looking up. She unrolled it; it was already open to the second page. The headline jumped out at her: _Hogwarts Not A Safe Haven? Oh no_, Lily thought, settling into her chair and beginning to read.

_Over the years, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has not only gained renown for its reputed staff and brilliant Headmaster, but also for its secure location and many safety precautions. The school reassures parents repeatedly that their children are safe in the hands of Albus Dumbledore - but can this still be said? As the times get darker, there have been rumours of Death Eater activity around the school, and that the newest recruits come fresh from their NEWTs. These have been only rumours - until now.  
Though Headmaster Dumbledore has done his best to keep it quiet, an anonymous source told the Daily Prophet that the Death Eaters have, indeed, infiltrated the ancient school. The tip-off named the known Death Eater as Lilliana Romanov, daughter of Russian wizard Viktor Romanov, currently working in the Department of Mysteries. Lilliana Romanov, a sixth-year Slytherin student at Hogwarts, allegedly threatened numerous students in Gryffindor house, also casting the Imperius curse on two of her classmates. The Ministry has yet to deal with Lilliana Romanov, but the real question is, what is Dumbledore's next __course of action?_

Feeling a little sick, Lily put the paper down. She should've expected it, really. It was surprising that the Prophet had been an entire week late, and couldn't name Lila's victims. But still, she had begun to think that it had all been a dream, and the article had swept away all her hopes.

"What's that?" Severus asked, peering at the article. "Oh."

She looked up at him; he seemed mildly worried, but not too concerned. "Are you sure-"

"I didn't know anything about it, Lily," he said, a little impatiently. "I told you already."

"Right." She nodded slowly. "I just thought... you were friends, so maybe she mentioned something to you."

"No, she didn't. But we all make mistakes when it comes to friends, don't we?" He glanced at her sharply. Lily knew instantly what he meant, but something in her was annoyed by the word 'mistake'.

"What're you talking about?" she asked coolly, reaching into her bag for her Potions book.

"You and _Potter_?" Lily tried not to flinch at the way he spat out James's name. "You're... _friends_, aren't you?" He raised an eyebrow.

The news about the fight was on the tip of her tongue, but still, that slight annoyance stopped her. _Mistake._ "Yeah, I guess so."

"How did that happen?"

"He asked me if we could start over. I said okay." She shrugged.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." Lily tried to say that she and James had hit a rough patch, but the words stuck in her throat and refused to come out. She was sure that guilt was written all over her face; if she was going to be friends with Sev, she couldn't lie to him. But somehow, she couldn't say it. Telling someone who didn't know about the fight, saying the words out loud, would be making it more final, and real, and it filled her with an irrational fear.

"Okay." He scowled, setting his Charms paper aside. "I'm done, we can start Potions now."

"Okay," Lily repeated, and unrolled a new scroll of parchment. She pressed her quill to it, and wrote the heading: _Antidotes_. She paused to look at Severus. He was already midway into his second paragraph, his cramped handwriting filling the parchment. Taking a deep breath, Lily started to write, imagining she was inking over all her bad decisions, and everyone else's too.

* * *

A/N: Well I don't really have anything to say here... Uh... Happy February? Kidding.

Sorry this is short, I keep feeling guilty about short chapters. Except, if you like short chapters. Sorry, I'm rambling now.

R&R, lovelies! Maybe you'll get a quick reconciliation then ;)

Love,

Tessa


	10. Letters to Hogwarts

**Everything belongs to JK Rowling. Sigh. Cover art by viria13.**

**A/N:** yeah, yeah, very late. i know. i'm SO sorry :( here, have some cookies (**::**) (**::**) (**::**)  
This definitely can't be worth the wait lol it's the shortest chapter yet - which is why i promise that the next few will come up before the week ends. Pinky swear.

Thank you guys SO MUCH for the reviews, they made me super happy :)

**thearcherballet; stefanie437:** haha i'm glad you liked it even though it was VERY short. and now you have this, even shorter. sorry for letting you down /sigh/

**James Potter:** well, see, i _could_ answer that question. but, i think i shall say, in true River Song fashion: spoilers, sweetie.

**Nina:** I think the whole point about the Sev/Lily conversation was that it _wasn't_ cute. It wasn't cute because their friendship is in itty bitty tatters. I can't say I'm complaining :)

**Scarlettrey:** THANK YOU SO MUCH :)

A megaextrahuge thanks to Paige, my awesome beta, who deserve a frigging feast of cupcakes for putting up with my procrastination.

* * *

9. Letters To Hogwarts  
_"If I kiss you where it's sore,_  
_If I kiss you where it's sore,_  
_Will you feel better, better, better?_  
_Will you feel anything at all?"_  
Regina Spektor, "Better"

Dear Lily,

It's good to hear that you're doing fine. You gave us all a terrific fright, springing the news about that attack on us! You said that none of you were hurt, which is somewhat reassuring. Your father was outraged, talking about pulling you out of school if this sort of thing went on, but you know him. He calmed down in a bit, and I told him you'd never leave. Besides, I trust your teachers to take care of you lot.  
Petunia's wonderfully excited about her boyfriend, Vernon – her friend Sadie told her that he was going to propose to her. I wouldn't be surprised; they've been dating for quite a while, and Vernon's mother and sister came home for tea today. They're quite like him, actually. I don't think you'd get along with Marge - that's his sister - at all, though, so hopefully we can stop you from hexing her. At least until after Tuney's married.  
I've been baking, so by the time you reply, I should have an assortment of cupcakes for you and your friends. Could I bribe you with those about Marge, dear? I'm only joking, of course. It'll take more than cupcakes to keep you from having a go at her.  
Lots of love,  
Mum  
PS: Mary's mum says they'll be out of town for a while, so tell Mary she won't be able to write.

Dear Mum,  
Sorry for scaring you! Nothing really happened, and the girl was just one of my classmates. She couldn't really have hurt me. Tell Dad I say hi, and that I'm alive and whole, the same as he left me. Give or take a few treacle tarts.  
Mum, please, Sadie's all talk. Do not under any circumstances let Tuney listen to her, because she'll get all this crazy hopes and then she probably will marry him when she could do so much better. Can you look me in the eyes and say he doesn't closely resemble a swollen football? Or, better still, a certain marine mammal – and I don't mean a dolphin. What do you mean, they're 'like' him? Girth-wise, or ridiculously-snobby-mentality-wise? If it's the latter, then I sincerely hope she annoys me enough to hex her, and then Tuney can finally find someone better, preferably not one who looks like a giant-sized grape when provoked. He's the same colour as one, too. And if he's a grape, then they'll all be grapes! Do I _have_ to meet them?  
Yes, cupcakes! I'll expect a huge package! And I'll remember to tell Mary.  
Love you loads,  
Lily

* * *

Dear James,  
Don't ignore this letter, love, because it has nothing to do with the Aunt Ellis fiasco. To be honest, that was rather good magic. Where did you learn that? Not that I approve, of course. Speaking of things I approve of, I haven't got a single letter from Minerva so far. Should I be concerned? Is everything all right, or are you simply planning something big for later?  
I heard about the attack in Hogwarts. I hope none of you are hurt? I was thinking of Flooing over to check on you, but I thought it would be best to write first. You boys can take care of yourselves, no doubt.  
I'm writing to tell you that you'd better not come home for Christmas, because Aunt Ellis and Uncle Ben will be here. Needless to say, they're not your biggest fans at the moment. Your father is just as upset as they are. I don't think I can be of any help if you do come, so it'd be best if you stayed away. I'll miss you, at least; who will make disgusting plum cakes with me? Not Aunt Ellis, for sure.  
Send my regards to Sirius, Remus, and Peter!  
Love,  
Mum

Dear Mum,  
There, I read your letter, but only because I miss your delicious plum cakes. They are not disgusting. I don't know how I could possibly be related to you. For that, I'm almost tempted to come home and bring Sirius with me. The only thing that would keep me away is if you sent me a large, fruity parcel with your reply. Remus, Sirius, and Peter say hi, and Sirius also says he wants a cake all to himself. Don't mind him.  
We're all fine, arms and legs attached, the likes. It was only Romanov's daughter, no big threat to us. She snuck into the girls' dorm, but you know the girls in our year – Gina, Marlene, Mary, and Lily were more than a match for her. No, you _do not_ need to come check on us – think what it would do to my reputation! I will be forever known as 'that ponce whose mum came to visit.'  
I noticed that you did not ask about the Quidditch match, probably because you didn't want a foot-long answer. I am hurt, Mother. Tell Dad we thrashed the living daylights out of Hufflepuff – if he doesn't bemoan his misfortune in progeny the moment you speak my name, that is. It was a brilliant spell, wasn't it? I'm not going to tell you where I learnt it, of course.  
Thanks for the month-early dismissal. I'll be sure to stuff myself full of pudding to cope with the grief. Tell Aunt Ellis I say cheerio!  
Love,  
James

* * *

Marlene,  
I'm so relieved to hear nothing's happened to you and your friends. Are you quite sure Hogwarts is safe enough for you? Otherwise, I think it would be better for us all if you and Thaddeus came home. You'd learn just as much with us.  
I hope your studies are going well. I don't know if you heard, but Auror training is supposed to have become even harder with Rufus Scrimgeour as head. Of course, if you still want to train to be one, we won't stop you. You yourself said you weren't entirely sure, and you know we don't really approve. It would delight your father and I if you completed your NEWTs and came back home. We could get you a nice husband, and you can live safely until this whole business with You-Know-Who dies down. We're having a luncheon too; it'd be a perfect opportunity for you to meet other witches who've done the same, and are perfectly happy with their lives. Your safety is our best interest, after all.  
With love,  
Mum

Mum,  
Don't be silly, Tad and I are fine. And you know I'd rather be here slaving away than be at home slaving away and having to go to all your mad parties.  
Yes, I heard about Scrimgeour. If that was your attempt at discouraging me, Mum, it wasn't a very good one. I know you don't want me to become an Auror, or make anything out of my life, really. I don't know what's with the both of you. You, unlike many people I could name, have a daughter who's actually smart and independent, and good enough to join the Aurors. You know what, just forget it. My mind's made. And I am definitely not 'living safely' until this dies down, all right? I have friends who could be in danger all their lives, and I'm not going to hide away for all of mine.  
Have a nice luncheon.  
Marlene.

* * *

Gee,  
You didn't answer my last letter. What for? Is everything all right? You're worrying me, and that's saying something.  
In case you didn't receive my previous letter, let me just go over what I said. If we want The Witching Hour to stand out, we'll need to do something different. We can't be all, 'Charmed The Heart Right Out Of Me', or whatever it is that British woman of yours sings. I don't know much about it because I'm in France for most of the year, but I know there's trouble with a Dark wizard in Britain. Maybe we could sing about that, something to give the people hope? I know it's rather ambitious, but I think it's worth a try. Imagine what it could bring us!  
Reply quickly, I'm losing my patience. And what's with Sarah? I haven't heard from her in ages. REPLY!  
Love and all that,  
Elle  
P.S: don't mention this to anyone, understood? Not even Nicks.

Dear Elle,  
Yeah, there is a Dark wizard on the loose here – worse than Grindelwald, even. I don't know about the singing, though. I read through your song, and it's really brilliant, believe me. But I'm worried; we could get in serious trouble for this. And I could lie and say I'm only worried about you lot, but this goes far beyond us. I mean it; if we rise up like that, they could target our families and our friends, and I'm not sure I can put everyone through that.  
I haven't heard from Sarah either, and I'm starting to worry about her. Hopefully her new boyfriend is just taking up all her time, or something. And I didn't talk to Annika about this. Why don't you want her to know, anyway?  
Love,  
Gina

* * *

Dear Remus,  
Thank goodness you're all unharmed. I was so worried when Mrs Potter owled me about the attack, asking if I'd heard anything from you. They've caught the girl who did it, didn't they? It's a real relief; I have the utmost confidence in Professor Dumbledore, of course.  
The full moon is coming - it might even be over by the time you get this. I know there's no such thing as a painless transformation, but I hope it was better than it usually is. I spoke to Professor Dumbledore, and he said it would be all right if you came home for the next full moon - do consider it, dear. I always worry so much about you.  
Your father's run into a spot of trouble at work, but he expects it'll be resolved soon enough. Don't trouble yourself about it.  
With lots of love,  
Mum

Dear Mum,  
Yes, we're all fine, no need to worry. The girl's name is Lilliana Romanov, Viktor Romanov's daughter. He works at the Ministry, Dad might know him. She's only sixteen; she couldn't have done much to us anyway.  
I'll think about it, but you know I don't want to give you any trouble. I'm actually doing OK here – not painless, obviously, but tolerably. Tell Dad I say hello, and that I'm sure his problem will be sorted out.  
Love,  
Remus

* * *

Dear Ed,  
I'm terribly sorry I didn't owl you before. There was a minor issue with someone all the way in Glasgow that the Ministry wanted your father and me to fix, so we were travelling all over the country. It turned out to be a mistake; the Muggle had only seen a car backfire, or something of the sort. Thank you for your last letter; I'd have half-died with worry if you hadn't told me that no one was hurt. Are you sure you don't want us to come see you? I know you said you're fine, but the Imperius Curse, dear!  
There's nothing new here, as you might expect. That's what we get for living in such a sleepy old village, I suppose! The Dearborns are throwing a luncheon tomorrow, so I should be completely up to date on everything by then! Half the county's invited, I expect. Aurelia does nothing by half. Speaking of the Dearborns, how is Marlene? I haven't seen her in a while. Give her my love, would you, darling?  
Love,  
Mum

Dear Mum,  
Again, you don't have to worry about me. Madam Pomfrey bullied me into staying for almost two weeks in the hospital wing afterwards, and I'm fine. Don't bother coming, really, it'll disrupt all your work.  
That's a shame; you don't even have a proper reason for abandoning your poor son. Just joking. Well, you'll have fun at the Dearborns' luncheon. I'm sure Mars has heard all about it and is wishing she isn't related to all of them. She's doing great. I'll tell her you say hello.  
Love,  
Ed

* * *

Dear Elyse,  
Your Quidditch match sounds so exciting! I wish I'd been there to see it. And you recognised the Wronski Feint before you hurt yourself - that's more than many world-class players can say! I hate to say I told you so, but I'm afraid I was right again. I knew you wouldn't mess up the game, dear.  
I've got something to do in Bristol, so I might be out of touch for a bit. I'm sure you'll have tons of news to give me by then. I look forward to hearing it! Mum will be here, though, so you can write to her all you want.  
Loads of love,  
Dad

Dear Dad,  
You really should've been there – although it was more James than me, really. And you know I exaggerate a lot, and I'm always really nervous before a game.  
Make sure you remind Mum before you leave, though, or she might totally forget I exist! Have fun in Bristol.  
Love,  
Elyse

* * *

Dear Peter,  
I hope you're all well – Mrs. Potter and I were thinking of visiting, we were so worried when we heard about the attacks. And the Imperius Curse too! Dumbledore said it was nothing to worry about, but I still think I should come see you.  
How's school, other than all that? I hope your grades are good. And how are all your friends? In good shape, I should think; you're all tough boys. Grown-ups, even!  
I'm sending a package of cinnamon rolls with this letter – I hope you enjoy them!  
With love,  
Mum

Dear Mum,  
I'm doing fine, there's no need to fuss about me. It wasn't really an attack anyway, just some Slytherin girl from our year. Dumbledore's right, it's not worth the trouble.  
School's the same as usual, I suppose. My friends are all fine too; they'll certainly feel better when they see the cinnamon rolls.  
See you at Christmas, then. Thanks again for the rolls!  
Love,  
Peter

* * *

Dumbledore,  
Sorry you didn't get this earlier. As you must already know, the Madisons died from three Killing Curses. No sign of a struggle. We're investigating, and Moody thinks it's the work of a high-up Death Eater. It'd take a good bit of magic to disable their alarm system - not a Muggle one. Madison's will divides his property between his wife, son, and daughter. Mrs. Madison split hers up between the two of them. Obviously, the boy had no will, so the entire family's possessions should pass to the daughter.  
Send her my condolences,  
Caradoc Dearborn

* * *

**A/N:** like i said, short. hopefully it carried a lot of meaning haha. the next chapter will be up VERY soon, and things will actually happen there! PINKY. SWEAR.

Also, to the Guest who reviewed Chapter 3 - that was a really embarrassing formatting mistake haha. There was supposed to be an asterisk between the Sunday paragraph and the Monday paragraph. Oops. Thanks for pointing it out, though :)

I will be giving out cookies if you review. Here is a taaaaaaaaaaaste (**::**)

Love,

Tessa.


	11. An Expected Twist

**Copyright JK Rowling; cover art belongs to viria13.**

**A/N:** See? I promised :) okay, it's not much. It's actually pretty short. But the next one is like, 30 MS Word pages long. Yeah, I suck. I know. Also, new format! Wow. It's very... different. I have yet to decide whether I like it or not. Thanks and cookies to **A Moment Of Eternity**, **stefanie437**, **Scarlettrey** & **James Potter** for reviewing. How you flatter me. And of course, massive thanks to **Paige**. What would I do without you? Anyway, as requested, I will be doing recaps in the beginning of every chapter! Yay! I will definitely feel like I'm writing a recap for a 90210 episode. I can hear the actors' voices in my head. Oh, man.

**Previously:** Lily Evans blew her top at the Quidditch victory party, and said some pretty nasty things to James Potter, resulting in the break-off of their new truce. She's all ready for forgiveness - but is James? Gina Edgecombe is part of a four-girl band, The Witching Hour, consisting of fellow Gryffindor Annika Patel, her distant relative Elle Laurent, and homeschooled Sarah Keyes. Elle has some radical ideas to help TWH make it big, but Gina's not so sure it's a good idea. Some luck might be coming her way, though. Hannah Madison's family was murdered in their home on Saturday night, but she only found out in the papers. She had an intense talk with Dumbledore; everyone knows that. What happens next for newly-orphaned Hannah? Mary Macdonald actually cares about Divination, though everyone else thinks it's just a laugh. Maybe she isn't the talentless vapid Queen Bitch she seems like. And that's what you missed.

* * *

10. An Expected Twist  
_"But inside,__  
__You're just a little baby"_  
Marina and the Diamonds, "I Am Not A Robot"

On Sunday night, Mary dreamed.

_The sky was dark one minute, and suddenly, it was blazing, the house burning like a massive bonfire. The wood crackled and snapped so loudly that it almost blocked out the screams coming from inside. Sparks flew madly, setting tufts of grass on the lawn on fire. A young woman was running towards the house, instead of away. Everyone who saw her shook their heads, calling her mad - why wouldn't she wait for the fire engine? But she didn't stop._

_The woman ploughed ahead, ducking through the flaming doorway. It was silly superstition, but she reached for her wedding ring before doing anything, expecting to feel the metal, cool and reassuring. It wasn't there. Too late, she remembered taking a bath, the owl about the burning house interrupting her. She'd scrambled for clothes and her wand; in the rush, she'd left her ring on the countertop. She cursed under her breath, but she couldn't turn back now. The screams cut through her thoughts, bringing her back to the present. She had to go on._

_She muttered an incantation, waving her wand, and a translucent bubble formed around her head, keeping the smoke away. She followed the shouts up the staircase, dodging a falling pillar just in time. Swearing under her breath, she stopped at the landing. She wiped the sweat from her brow, and blasted the first door open. Screams came from the room like water from a burst dam, and the woman came to stand by the door. With another spell, she undid her Bubblehead Charm, wincing as the smoke slammed into her lungs._

_"It's all right, you're safe!" she choked out looking at the door in hopes of a reaction, and the screams faded to worried whimpers._

_"Who are you?" a quavering little voice called from inside._

_"I'm - here to help," she said, her heart wringing. The voice was a child's - the boy couldn't be more than six years old. "Hang on a moment, and I'll come in, okay?"_

_"Okay! But I think my sister's hurt" came the reply._

_The woman swore again, and conjured her Patronus, a slender, lithe lioness. The silvery cat scampered away down the burning hall, and the woman ran into the room after watching it go. The room must have once been a bedroom, with a cot and a big cupboard. The little boy, his face smeared with soot, was hiding under the cot, hugging a little girl tightly. When he saw the woman, his eyes widened, and he wriggled out with his sister._

_"See, she's not listening to me," he said worriedly, looking at his unconscious sister._

_"It'll be fine. The firemen are coming," the woman promised. "What's your name, then?"_

_"Alan," the boy said._

_"All right, Alan, listen to me. There will be good people coming soon to take care of you and your sister. Where are your parents?"_

_"They're out."_

_"The good people will help you, okay?" The woman turned towards the door._

_The boy's face became pale with terror. "Don't leave me!"_

_"I'm not leaving you," she said. "Come with me, we've got to get you and your sister out of here." She gathered him and the girl into her arms, adjusting them around so that she could still hold her wand properly. Her back was turned, so she didn't see the dark, cloaked figure sweep into the room behind her. She didn't see it raise an arm, and say, coldly, "_Crucio_."_

_She barely heard her own screams._

On Monday morning, Mary woke up screaming.

Not for the burning house, or the little children. She'd recognised the woman's face. It was the same face that hovered near her just then.

"Mary," Marlene said softly, "is everything all right?"

Mary bit back her screams, rubbing at the wetness on her cheeks and the sheen of sweat on her forehead. It had definitely been Marlene in her dream, except maybe a little older. She'd recognise her friend anywhere – same voice, same dark hair – she even recognised her wand. Mary tried to will the memory away. "I - yeah, I'm fine," she managed. "Nightmare."

"It sounds like a bad one," said Marlene, her voice still low and soothing.

"Really bad one. Can we just... forget about it?" Mary wanted to hug her friend and sob in her shoulder, but she didn't want to think about what she'd seen, much less explain it.

"Of course. Anytime you want to talk, I'm here, okay?" Marlene brushed the last of the tears from her face.

Mary swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I know. You're always there."

Marlene smiled. "There we go. Nightmares are no match for us."

_"Raise your voice__  
__Every single time__  
__They try and shut your mouth"_  
My Chemical Romance, "Sing"

The Owlery wasn't the most pleasant sight first thing in the morning, thought Gina as she shooed Elle's owl Cherie away with her letter. She'd made her decision pretty quickly. She knew that singing songs like that could get her killed - but she realised that she was ready to take the risk. She would have to owl her mother too, and explain everything to her... Gina leaned against a row of owl cages, ignoring their squawks of protest. She could count on her mother's support, at least.

Deep in thought, she walked out of the Owlery, not even seeing Hyperion Smith until she walked right into him. "Oh, Merlin, I'm so sorry!" she gasped.

"No problem," he smiled. "I was looking for you anyway."

"You were? What for?" Gina thanked all that was good and holy for making sure she wasn't one of those girls who dissolved into mush at the sight of a good-looking bloke.

"Slughorn asked me to give you this." He held out a note for her in their Potions teacher's handwriting, dashing all her hopes about a passionate declaration of love. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Unfolding the note, Gina read:

_Miss Edgecombe,__  
__You are cordially invited to my Christmas party, in my own office, on the 15th of December. I hope you would oblige me by singing for us that day. I'd like to book you for the evening, if I may say so! Please come see me if this agrees with you.__  
__Professor Horace Slughorn__  
_

"His _Christmas_ party?" she repeated.

"I reckon you're the first one to get an invitation," replied Hyperion. Gina looked up at him; he was still smiling. "I suppose it's too much to ask if you'll be singing, or The Witching Hour will be playing?"

She thought her heart would explode at that. "How do you know about The Witching Hour?" she asked, stunned.

"I know Sarah Keyes."

"Oh." Suddenly, Gina remembered the unnamed boyfriend, her stomach dropping to her feet.

"Yeah, I've met her once or twice," Hyperion continued. "She's quite the talker. She told me absolutely everything about your band."

Relief flooded Gina, and she was filled with the sudden urge to prance along the banister, shouting Sarah's praise. "Oh. Did Slughorn ask for the whole band?"

"No, _I'm_ asking."

She scrambled after her composure, which had scattered like a dropped handful of marbles. "Er - I don't think Elle can - but I'll ask Slughorn about Annika and Sarah."

"That's good. See you at the party, then."

She stepped back, letting him enter the Owlery. "See you."

Gina practically skipped back down to the Common Room, feeling like her veins couldn't possibly hold that much happiness. _"Gurdyroot!"_ she trilled, making the Fat Lady grumble.

"You don't have to rub your voice range in," the painting said grumpily, but Gina was barely listening.

She flew through the portrait-hole, and spotted her friends instantly. "Today's a wonderful day!" she squealed, and then she noticed Hannah. Sobering, she added, "Sorry about that."

"It's okay," said Hannah. "We were just talking about what McGonagall told me."

"What did McGonagall tell you?" Gina asked, settling into a chair beside Marlene. "Where's Lily?"

"Taking a shower," Marlene said, just as Mary said, "She gave her the choice of staying or going."

"One at a time, please!" Gina covered her ears.

"She told me I could either stay here at Hogwarts, or go back to America. One of my mom's friends says she'll adopt me if I do, but if I'd rather stay here, she'll come to England," said Hannah.

"What did you say?"

Hannah stared down at her clasped hands. Her knuckles were almost white. "I said I'd stay."

"That's great," Marlene said.

"We'll make sure you don't regret it," added Mary.

Hannah gave them a teary smile. "Thanks a lot."

"Sorry to interrupt, but we're already late for breakfast," Lily called from the staircase. "Are you coming, or not? Gee, Professor Babbling hates it when we're late."

"Bother Professor Babbling!" Gina sighed. "I'm coming, Lil. I've got loads to tell you, so it's no problem if Ancient Runes gets dead boring." She linked her arm through Lily's.

"Let's go, then." Lily grinned at her.

_"And you say to yourself,__  
__'I'm gonna figure it out'"_  
P!nk, "The Truth About Love"

"And then he said he'd see me at the party!" Gina finished, beaming.

"That's great, Gee," Lily grinned. "I've never seen you so girly."

"Is that a bad thing?" Gina laughed. "It doesn't feel so bad, though."

"Nah, I bet it doesn't." The girls stopped in front of the Charms class, for once, the first ones down. Professor Babbling had worked them ruthlessly, but she'd been so pleased that she'd let them out early. Gina had had to tell her story on their way to Charms, but it didn't really matter, what with their leisurely pace. Lily thought she could get used to that. She half-listened to Gina raving about Hyperion Smith, nodding and smiling at all the right places. She could see four familiar figures at the end of the corridor, and was racking her brain for the best way to deal with them. Or one of them in particular.

"Hi," she said as soon as the Marauders came within hearing range. Gina stopped talking, and gave her a strange look. Lily winced inwardly; had she seemed weird? Over eager?

"Hi," said Peter sincerely.

"Hi?" Sirius said slowly, as if he'd never heard the word before. He was giving her the same look as Gina.

"Hello," Remus said, with a rueful smile to try to make up for James's silence. It didn't.

"James," she began, ignoring Sirius's warning look. "Listen-"

"Do you hear something, Padfoot?" James interrupted loudly.

Lily resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "That's really mature," she said, before she could stop herself. Remus cringed, and Sirius shook his head. Sirius mouthed something at her urgently, but James had turned his glare to her, and she couldn't tell what it was.

"Oh, beg your pardon," James said viciously. "It's Lily Evans, who's so mature that she's miles above us all - I'm terribly sorry if I'm too immature for you. I'll just add that to the list, right under 'self-centred'. Thanks ever so much for your feedback." He turned away. Sirius was still mouthing something.

"I can't understand you!" Lily hissed at him.

"Say you're sorry!" he hissed back, as if James wasn't standing right there.

"I've done that!"

"Well, do it again!"

Lily sighed. "James, I'm sorry. Really. I shouldn't have said those things."

He looked at her, and seemed to consider her apology. "I don't forgive you," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"Yeah, I don't forgive you. How many times have you made _me_ grovel, Evans? Count them."

Lily wanted to scream. "You'd be the better person if you forgave me," she tried. The other students had come too; she swore mentally. Now they had an audience.

"Yes, because that's my life's ambition. I'm not the better person, all right? I'm the _worse_ person, so you can go on being the better person and keep the balance in the world."

"Screw the balance in the world!" Lily said loudly.

The classroom door opened just then, and Flitwick eyed her strangely. "Do you have anything to say, Miss Evans?"

The Slytherins sniggered at that. Cowed, Lily said, "No, Professor."

"Good. Then we can start class. Perhaps you could demonstrate a Refilling Charm for us inside?"

"Yes, Professor."

They shuffled into the classroom, and Lily found Sirius at her shoulder. "Just let it be for a while. It works for me every time."

"I will not let it be for a while! I 'let it be' the whole of yesterday!"

Sirius sighed. "All right, go ahead. You're ignoring the tried and tested method, Evans. Forge your own path through these dangerous waters, if you will."

"You don't have to call me 'Evans' just because he's gone back to it," she said.

He cracked a smile. "I'll see about that."

Frustrated, Lily took her seat next to Mary. "Hi, Mac."

"Hey." Mary rubbed her eyes, yawning. "Do I look any different?"

"Er, no. Why?"

"Never mind." Mary gave her a thin smile. "Would you take notes for me? I'm exhausted."

Normally, Lily wouldn't have agreed. But she could see the circles around Mary's eyes, and the way she bit back yawns every now and then. "Just this once," Lily said.

"You're the best kind of mate there is, Lil," Mary sighed.

"I know." They both shut up as Flitwick walked past them to the front of the class.

"We spoke about Refilling Charms in theory last class," Flitwick began. "We practised the incantation as well - Miss Evans, would you be so kind as to perform it for us?"

Lily stood, walking to his table. She took a deep breath - she'd done this before, even under stressed conditions. She could do it again. Flitwick conjured a goblet, and filled it with water. He offered it to her, and she drank it in a hurry, her stomach twisting with nerves. Don't be stupid, she told herself. It's only a little spell, not an exam. Setting the goblet down again, Lily pulled out her wand. Merlin, she'd forgotten the spell - what was it, what was it? The class stirred impatiently behind them, and Flitwick raised his eyebrows. Lily breathed in again. And then the incantation popped into her head. She could see it clearly, she could see the whole page it had been on. And she could hear it in her mind, James's voice saying it slowly. The spell slipped from her mouth easily, and she twisted her wrist in just the right way. She held her breath.

Nothing happened.

"Try again." Flitwick was looking a bit sympathetic, as if he was starting to regret putting her through this.

She did the same thing again, but the goblet stayed empty. Flitwick waved his own wand, saying the spell clearly, and water appeared in the goblet, filling it to the brim. "Like this, see?"

Lily saw. But she didn't see any difference from what she was doing. She tried again, but to no avail. She glared at the goblet.

"That's quite all right, Miss Evans," Flitwick squeaked, clearly regretting the punishment. "Please, take your seat."

Lily curled her hands into fists, but walked back down the aisle. She could see the glee on the Slytherins' faces, the sympathy on her friends' - and the nasty smirk James was wearing. She wanted to punch him. She sat down next to Mary, drumming her fingers on their desktop impatiently.

Flitwick conjured goblets in front of all of them, filled with water. "Now, I'd like you all to practise the Refilling Charm on these goblets, the same way - er, the same way I performed it." He gave Lily an apologetic glance. She didn't meet his eyes. "Begin, please!"

Lily grabbed her goblet and gulped down its contents. "All I'm going to get from this class is a full bladder," she muttered.

Mary smiled. "It's all right, Lil. I bet I won't be able to do it either." She looked at her empty goblet, tapped it with her wand, and whispered the spell. It promptly filled to the brim. Lily glanced at her own goblet, and tried casting the charm. It stayed stubbornly empty. Swearing under her breath, she tried again. And again. And again.

Of course, it still didn't work.

By the end of the lesson, Lily was ruing the day the Refilling Charm was invented. She wasn't feeling too kindly towards tiny Professor Flitwick either. Maybe he sensed it, because he tried to make it up to her when he was assigning homework.

"For homework, I want you all to do an essay, six feet of parchment on Refilling Charms-" there were groans all around "-in pairs," he finished. Lily clung to Mary's arm desperately. "And I'll be deciding your pairs." She cursed. Of all the things Flitwick was good at, making decent pairs wasn't one of them. Lily really shouldn't have expected anything else.

"Miss Evans and Mr Potter."

Again. This time, his smile dropped and he glared at her in displeasure. This time, she was the one wondering if looks could kill, because she'd have been struck dead long ago if they could. This is going to be lovely, Lily thought, watching as James stood up and marched out of the classroom.

"Good luck to you," Mary murmured.

"And I'll bloody well need it," Lily replied.

* * *

**A/N: **if you are dissatisfied with the length of this chapter, I do not blame you. I would be too. Anyway. Review! Oh, guess whose birthday is in 4 days... :) before I forget, I have two questions I'd like you to answer.

1) I've heard a lot about people liking Hannah and Marlene - what about Mary or Gina? Tell me if you're a Mac or Gee fan!

2) This is more like a request haha. If you're on tumblr, I am tracking the tag 'the immortal years', so if you could tag all related posts... or fanart... Unless that's too ambitious. Anyway, I've always wanted a tag. So, post in the tag! And then I shall give you extra cookies!

Sorry for the super long A/N.

*Awaits your reviews with trays of baked goodies.*

Love,

Tessa.


	12. Monday Blues

Copyright Queen Rowling. Cover image beongs to viria13.

**A/N:** I know what you're thinking! "Finally, Tessa, a decent-ish-sized chapter!" Hooray! **(::) (::) (::) (::)**

As usual, thanks for all your awesomely supportive reviews. And thanks to PAAAAIGE for convincing me to unproc like a croc and get down to work.

**Previously:** Mary's been having strange dreams, and drawing odd pictures. Could something be afoot? James and Lily are still feuding, but it's become worse, because they've got an assignment to do - together. Lily's not sure she can convince James to cooperate. Speaking of that one Marauder, he seems to have gone back to his old behaviour, circa fifth year. It's extremely infuriating for some, but Sirius Black is just glad he can have fun now. Anything to get November over and done with as fast as possible. The drama seems to have passed, though. James, Sirius, and Remus caught Death Eater Slytherin Lila Romanov leaving the messages in Gryffindor Tower, and she's been missing from school ever since. Peter wasn't involved in that, though, since his friends thought it would be best to leave him out after the attack on him earlier in the year. Marlene has problems of her own; lying to Ed was difficult, even when buzzed, and the guilt is gnawing at her. And that's what you missed.

* * *

11. Monday Blues  
_"And I don't really care_  
_If you think I'm strange_  
_I ain't gonna change"_  
Avril Lavigne, "Bad Reputation"

Mondays were bad enough, thought James, without Ancient Runes in first period. Honestly, what had McGonagall been thinking? No one in their right mind would put innocent sixteen-year-olds through such torture.

He threw a balled-up piece of parchment at Remus, stifling a yawn. "What?" Remus hissed, throwing it back. He was still recovering from the full moon, the permanent dark circles around his eyes more prominent that usual, but it seemed to James that he was more awake than ever.

"You taking notes?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course not. Listen to the woman. I'm trying to stay awake."

James let out a low whistle. "Look who has a hidden rebel."

"Hidden rebel? Prongs, my best mates are the biggest pranksters in the school. I think everyone's already figured out I have a bit of rebelliousness in me."

"True. There was also that time you had a bread fight with me."

"Ah, yes, the bread fight. A true act of reckless disobedience."

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Lupin, may I continue with my class?" Professor Babbling called from the front of the room, glaring at the two of them.

"You have our permission, Professor!" both of them chorused. James and Remus looked at each other in amazement, and so did and so did the rest of the room. Despite the twin grins on their faces, Professor Babbling just shot them a scowl before turning away. She knew better than to start with them first thing on a Monday.

"What was that for?" James chuckled as Babbling began teaching again.  
Remus shrugged. "I've always wanted to say that to her."

"Yep, there's a special nerve in me that only she can get on," James rolled his eyes.

"You've got a special place in your body for Professor Babbling?" Remus said, deliberately misunderstanding.

"Oh, shut up, you know I didn't mean that." But they were both laughing.  
Just then, a piece of parchment landed on their desk, familiar cursive scrawled across it.

_Keep it down, you don't want to tick her off again -LE_

James would've recognised the sender's handwriting even if it weren't for the initials. Frowning, he snatched the note up and wrote out a reply, carefully levitating it onto her desk when Babbling wasn't looking.

**Nose out, Evans.**

He didn't bother to tell her who he was; the way her cheeks flushed when she saw told him she knew anyway. She and Gina were sitting diagonally across from them, and Lily suddenly swivelled around in her seat to face him. James leaned back leisurely, waiting for her to speak. After several moments of her scrutinising him, he said, "Well?"

"What's it going to take?" she whispered back. "For you to forgive me?"

"You're forgiven."

"What?" Taken aback, she stared at him with her mouth slightly open.

"Yeah. I've got nothing special against you, Evans. Just how it used to be."

She looked like she was going to scream in frustration. "I told you, I was already on edge-"

"And so you didn't have to take it out on me," he pointed out cheerfully, glad he could easily mask the roiling, boiling cauldron of emotions swirling around in his head. "That's all fine. All is resolved. Back to normal."

She turned around for a few moments and nodded eagerly at what Professor Babbling was saying. James resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The moment the wizened old witch looked away, Lily faced him again. "I don't want 'normal'!" she said. "I like it when we get along!"

"Sure didn't seem like it." James tried not to show how he felt at that admission.

"I'm sorry I damaged your precious ego in the process," she snapped.  
James laughed humourlessly. "Says the bird who's too proud to apologise without insulting me in the process."

She groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I'll do your Potions homework for the next three months."

"Thought you didn't approve of deals."

"JAMES!" She looked positively livid now, and James could practically sense Remus giving him pointed looks. She looked sheepishly towards the front of the class at her whispered outburst, only to turn back around when she saw that nobody noticed. "I'm _sorry_, okay?"

"And I said you're forgiven. We done here?" Without waiting for an answer, he looked away from her, ignoring Remus's cough. "For fuck's sake, Moony, don't look at me like that," he muttered.

"Just give her a rest," Remus said quietly. "Come on, look at her."

James was trying not to. Even when he was mad at her, furious at her, it was hard to ignore how perfect she was - though her hair was messy and her uniform wasn't as impeccable as ever. Still too perfect for him, he thought. "I'm not doing anything," he pointed out. "She said she's sorry. I said that it's all right. What else is there?"

_"I'm overjoyed, I'm undecided,_  
_I don't know who I am"_  
Paramore, "Hello Cold World"

Gina was humming a soft tune under her breath as she took notes, pausing every five minutes to write out the tune in the margins of her Charms textbook. Next to her, Mary was drumming her fingers impatiently on the desk, muttering something incomprehensible under her breath.  
Mary paused for a moment, and Gina nudged her. "Keep doing that."

"Sorry?" Mary blinked at her as if she'd just been woken up. Gina caught the worry in her eyes just before it vanished. Strange, she thought.

"That beat. Keep doing it."

Shrugging, Mary rapped her fingers against the edge of the desk softly, and Gina hummed along to it, a slow smile spreading across her face. "That's bloody brilliant, Mac!"

"Thanks, I think," Mary said, smiling a little wearily. "Got a song on your mind?"

"Not really," replied Gina slowly. "It's Elle's, but she asked me to set it to a tune. She's rubbish at that. It's really hard to put music to someone else's words, though-" She broke off. "Don't let me bore you."

Mary laughed, sounding more like herself. "Bore me? As opposed to positively dying of boredom because of Flitwick?"

"He isn't that bad."

"He isn't, it's non-verbal theoretical Charms that are." Mary sighed, crossing and uncrossing her legs. "Got a date to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

"No. I'll probably spend the whole time finishing the song. You?"

"No. A lot can happen in five days, though." Mary grinned mischievously, and Gina rolled her eyes.

Sobering a little, she asked, "How's Hannah doing?"

"She's holding up well, actually. I think she's still in shock."

Gina nodded slowly. She supposed she'd be in shock too, if she'd read an article about her family dying in the papers. It was almost too surreal to be true. "She's got friends here, though."

"Yeah. It's good that she didn't go back to America. That's like running away from all your troubles." Mary stared off into the distance.

"Mac?" Gina said softly. "You're okay, right?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Mary replied, smiling. But Gina could see the strain in it.

"Do me a favour and tap that beat out for Annika when you see her. I wouldn't forget it, but just in case..."

Mary nodded.

"Thanks, Mac. You're the best." Gina yawned. "Oh - Merlin, I hate Mondays."

"I'll say," Mary murmured, scratching a doodle onto her parchment. "We should start a petition for Mondays off from classes."

Gina grimaced. "I wish we could."

"Oi!" a voice hissed behind them. Gina turned around to see Marlene frantically waving a folded-up piece of parchment at them. Taking it surreptitiously, she opened it on their desk so both she and Mary could read it.

_How close d'you think Ed and I are?_

Mary and Gina exchanged glances.

"Do you think-?" Gina began, and Mary shook her head.

"There's no way," she said, "that the two of them stopped being such absolute gits, and finally got together. No way."

Gina picked up a quill to answer, but Mary beat her to it, with a simple, scrawled **why?** They passed the note back to Lily and Marlene, smiling secretly when they heard her groan of frustration at the cryptic answer.

_Because I'm asking you!_

**Deep breaths, Dearborn.**

_Mary, I swear to all that is holy, I will hex you as soon as Charms gets over._

You're best mates. You grew up together. What did you expect us to say? Gina wrote.

_Like, best mates in the way we are?_

Marlene, don't be daft. He's a bloke. But that doesn't mean you aren't best mates. Just in a different way.

_Okay, then. Um - would you be mad if I was withholding information from you?_

**Withholding? Or flat-out lying?**

_Withholding. Omitting._

**Is there something we need to know?**

_No! Not you! Focus on the withholding._

Depends on what it is. Little white lie, or huge, all-encompassing black one?

_Hard to explain. Never mind, we'll talk at lunch._

Mary's mouth opened into a round, offended O at that. "She can't do that!" she whispered. "First she goes on about secrets and Ed and withholding, and then she says she'll 'tell us later'? She is not allowed to do that!"

Gina smiled. "For Merlin's sake, Mac, you don't need to know about everything the moment it happens. Besides, we can get her to spill on the way to the greenhouses."

Mary brightened at that. "My Monday is getting better already."

_"There's not enough wind in Oklahoma_  
_To rip the nails out of the past"_  
Carrie Underwood, "Blown Away"

Hannah hugged her Herbology books to her chest, carefully picking her way to the greenhouses. She was glad she'd stayed, really. No one back in the States would've understood what had happened. They were so far away from it all - You-Know-Who, the Death Eaters. To them, it was an accident. Hannah knew better.

It wasn't a coincidence that her dad had dropped her off straight to Hogwarts, or that he'd talked to Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office for more than three hours. It wasn't a coincidence that her mother had stayed behind, saying that someone needed to 'protect' her brother. She remembered the way Dianne Madison had said it, 'protect' specifically, not 'keep an eye on', as if there was something that was going to hurt them. It certainly wasn't a coincidence that their owl had been killed on the same day as them, twine tangled around her legs as if she'd been carrying a letter.

Sighing, she looked down the grassy, gently sloping grounds, at the hordes of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs ahead of her. Bel and Annika had been wonderful to her the past few days, and she was really grateful for their support. But truthfully, she'd been dreading Herbology, because neither of her dormmates took it. She hoped she could get through at least one class without having an emotional breakdown.

A stray owl flitted overhead, its brown plumage glinting in the sunlight. For a moment, Hannah's heart leaped into her throat - Cheryl! But the owl was too big to be the family owl, and she bit her lip hard to stop the tears from forming. What was wrong with her? She could last one class without her closest friends. She had other friends. Didn't she?

She looked around as they filed into the greenhouse. Sure, she recognised some people, like James Potter and Remus Lupin. But she wasn't about to go over to the two boys and chat like they'd known each other for years. That would be very weird.

"Pull yourself together," she muttered to herself. The girl standing next to her gave her a curious look - Hannah realised it was Marlene. "Oh, hi," she said casually.

"Hi," said Marlene slowly. Hannah had always thought that Marlene didn't really like her, though she couldn't tell why. There was an awkward silence.

"Um, listen," Marlene began after a moment, as Professor Sprout began to teach.

"You don't have to apologise," Hannah cut in quickly. Seeing the other girl's confused expression, she said, "Sorry, I just - I don't really know what to say to people." She wanted to swallow the words back again. Marlene already disliked her - she didn't have to make things even weirder.

To her surprise, Marlene nodded in understanding. "That must be really awkward."  
"I wish I could just forget it ever happened. It's awful but... maybe things would be better if I didn't know at all." This class was starting to become a lot more profound.

"You've got us, right?" Marlene gave her a friendly smile. Hannah smiled back. "I know I've never been particularly nice to you but-"

"I've never given you a reason to be."

"You've never given me a reason not to be. I'm sorry."

Hannah nodded, knowing she didn't mean her family when she said it. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that Marlene was only saying these things because she felt guilty, because her family had died, and if all that had never happened, they would probably never have even properly spoken to each other. But she pushed those thoughts aside. She liked being liked, even if it was guilt-driven and somewhat reluctant.

Professor Sprout made groups of four, and gave them a strange-looking plant to study. Hannah was in the same group as Lily Evans, Remus Lupin, and Mary. They all laughed like toddlers when their plant hit Remus in the face while he was trying to examine its leaves. Sprout threatened to send them out of the greenhouse when she saw them clutching their sides and howling, completely ignoring their purple-striped potted plant. That made them sober up instantly.

The girls burst into laughter as soon as they noticed the stem-shaped mark on Remus's face.

Hannah was glad she'd stayed.

_"I'm wringing myself dry_  
_And I can't afford to lose_  
_One more teardrop from my eye"_  
The Black Keys, "Too Afraid To Love You"

Lily was exhausted by the time she sat at the Gryffindor table for lunch. She felt like a cauldron of emotions, simmering and ready to overflow. Over the past few hours, she'd been frustrated enough to risk Professor Babbling's wrath, angry enough to punch the wall, upset enough to snap at Marlene, crazy enough to laugh herself silly in Herbology, and she'd also answered every single question any teacher had asked in class. She was really, truly losing it, and she had no idea why. To add to that, every time she looked at James, he had a horrible blankness in his eyes. She'd seen him happy, upset, angry - but never so indifferent. It was making her sick.

Had she really hurt him that much?

Sighing, she chased a few peas around her plate with her fork. Someone sat down next to her, and Lily recognised him instantly. Terry. Her - boyfriend? "Hi," she said, suddenly grateful for someone who wasn't involved in her mess.

"Hey." He twisted a lock of her hair around his finger, just the way he used to. She smiled at the familiarity of it. "You don't look so good."

"Thanks," she said dryly.

He chuckled, a warm sound that made her smile more. "You know what I mean. You okay?" No, she thought. She opened her mouth to answer, but a sigh escaped instead. He gave her an understanding smile, and kissed her nose lightly. "It'll be better."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "I hope so."

"You should eat," he said softly, the whoosh of his breath blowing a few strands of her hair into her face.

"Not hungry," she mumbled. It suddenly occurred to her that just a few days ago, she'd been awkward and distant. And now that she needed him, she was all ready to snuggle. There, she thought bitterly, some more guilt to add to the growing pile.

"You've got a free period now, though, right?" Terry asked.

"Yeah." She shot him a puzzled glance. "How'd you know?"

He grinned. "Because I'm a genius."

She rolled her eyes. "You looked at my schedule."

Shrugging, he said, "Think what you want."

"Sure, you're a secret Legilimens," Lily laughed.

"You weren't even thinking about your free period," he countered.

"And how do you know that?"

He kissed her, on the lips this time, the taste of him warm and comforting and familiar and - stop thinking, Lily! "Because," he said, against her mouth, "I know you, Lily."

She laughed softly. "I'm glad you do."

"There," he said, "you cheered up now?"

"Yes," she smiled, looking up into his dark eyes.

"You certainly cheered me up." He slid his hand into hers.

Lily laughed. "That's what girlfriends are for, right?" she said on impulse.  
If he was surprised at her use of the word, he didn't show it. "And you're the perfect one."

"How you flatter me," she replied easily. She almost expected a witty reply - and then she remembered that this was Terry. He only smiled at her, getting to his feet.

"I've got Arithmancy," he said apologetically.

Lily groaned. "Stupid Arithmancy." He laughed.

"I'll see you on Saturday," he told her.

"Sooner," she promised. Girls were allowed to lean on their boyfriends, right? Just because she was a feminist didn't meant he couldn't support her too. And she wasn't using him. She wasn't.

"Lils, where'd you run off to?" Gina said, sitting down in the spot Terry had just vacated.

"I dunno, you guys were being slow and I was hungry," Lily replied vaguely, aware that her untouched plate gave her away. It didn't matter; they were best friends, and Gina would understand when she needed to be alone.

As she'd predicted, Gina nodded and didn't ask anything else. "So, I saw your pretty little boyfriend here a while ago."

Lily snorted with laughter. "Why do you call him that?"

Gina shrugged, smiling a little. "Because he's so pretty."

It was true, Lily thought. Even though he was a Quidditch player, he didn't really have a muscled look about him. His features were delicate and aristocratic, and he had insanely long eyelashes. But that didn't mean she was going to let people go around calling her boyfriend 'pretty'. "Oh, stop it," she said lamely, making Gina grin.

"Anyway, since you were brooding through the whole of Charms, laughing during Herbology, and ignoring Mary completely in Potions-"

"I was not ignoring her!" Lily protested. "Slughorn was looking right at me, and I couldn't very well have just started chatting with her!"

"That's ridiculous," Gina replied. "Slughorn loves you, and you know it. Just let me finish! Marlene says she has something to tell us... about Ed." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Lily laughed. "They aren't dating."

"Merlin, Lily, let a girl dream!"

"And I'm guessing Mary's grilling her all the way down here?"

"Yeah, she told me to go ahead so she could work her magic." Gina shook her head. "Sometimes, I worry about Mac."

"I'll say," muttered Lily, still smiling. "Did she mention anything to you at all?"

"She asked Mary and me about her bond with him, or something, but I have no idea..." Gina trailed off abruptly as Ed, Remus, and Peter sat down opposite them. "Hi."

"Hello," the boys answered, quickly digging into their lunches. At the sight of it, Lily rolled her eyes. She was yet to meet a male that did not gobble up anything set in front of him.

"Where's the rest of your little clique?" she asked casually. Gina, Remus, and Peter gave her knowing looks - it was an innocent question, they didn't have to be like that! - but Ed answered her, oblivious to the silent conversation around him.

"I'm guessing you mean James and Sirius? I dunno, said they had something to do."

"Alone?" Gina said sceptically. "That's a little..."

"We have this conversation all the time," Remus assured her. "The monthly Prongs-and-Padfoot-are-secret-lovers one."

Peter rolled his eyes. "It's starting to become weekly."

Everyone laughed, but Lily only contributed a weak chuckle. She wasn't totally self-absorbed, but she knew that it was more likely that James was trying to avoid her. They chattered aimlessly, and Lily put in a word or two. But really, she was trying to figure out why Sev was staring at her. He was glancing up to meet her eyes every few minutes. She was confused; if she was supposed to attach some deep meaning to it, she didn't know what it was. The next time their gazes met, she mouthed, what? She didn't have time to see his answer. Mary pulled her up to her feet, poking Gina as she did.

"Excuse us, boys," Mary said.

"Men," Remus corrected. Mary rolled her eyes.

"You're not even of age yet."

"You're looking at the more mature of us, Mary."

"I don't dispute that. Come on," she added impatiently to Gina and Lily. "Marlene's waiting!"

"I didn't get to finish eating!" Gina grumbled, trying to swallow as much as she could before they left.

"One day won't hurt you," replied Mary curtly. "We'll get... Sirius to get us food from the kitchen."

Lily and Gina both eyed their friend, Gina's spoon hovering in midair. "Sirius?" she repeated.

Lily could hear the frustration in Mary's voice. "I don't know, who else has access to the kitchens?"

"We do," Peter and Remus chimed in.

"I'll get you some food later if you want," Remus said to Gina.

She sighed, pushing her plate away. "Thanks, but I think I'm done."

Mary gazed heavenward. "And never have those words made me feel happier. Come on!"

"Aren't you going to finish, Lily?" Gina said, pointing at Lily's plate.

"Um, no," Lily said quickly. "Let's go, I want to hear what Marlene has to say."

"Why couldn't she have come here?" Gina sighed.

"You know why," Mary replied. "He's here."

"I bet he wouldn't even know we were talking about him if we didn't mention his name," Lily pointed out.

"And also, it's a longer walk from the Common Room to Divination," added Gina.

"Will you two shut up?" Mary said loudly as they climbed the first set of staircases. "Do you want to hear this or not? We don't want her to clam up again."

_"Nobody knows that she's a lonely girl_  
_And it's a lonely world"_  
Alicia Keys, "Girl On Fire"

Marlene sat on the windowsill in their dorm, staring out into the pleasant November afternoon. She'd written that note to Gina on impulse, and she was already starting to regret it. Mary called it the Clam Syndrome, claiming that she always pushed away serious issues. Marlene had always denied it, but she was starting to feel like it was true. It wasn't only Ed; she was lying to everyone. Well, it was omitting, but she was quite certain that Mary and Gina wouldn't have had such lax views on it if they'd known it involved them too. Part of it came from a need to just spit it out - she couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't stand it all by herself.

She laughed bitterly to herself. And she'd thought she was the strong one.

Just then, she heard voices from outside. The door clicked open to reveal her best mates, who filed in and sat on their respective beds, none of them approaching her. Marlene realised that if it had been anyone else, she would've started the interrogation first. This time, though, she was the target, and none of them knew what to say.

"Forget it," Marlene said quickly.

Lily gazed at her incredulously. "I thought you wanted to talk! What's all this about Ed, and how close you are, and omitting?"

"I - never mind, it's silly."

"It wouldn't hurt to tell us," Mary pointed out.

"It's okay, you'll be late for Divination-"

"No way did I miss half my lunch for this." Gina glared at her. "Come on, spit it out."

"I-" Her voice cracked. Her friends knew her so well - but somehow, no one understood that she didn't want to say it, she wanted someone else to see it, to sense it, to ask her about it. It was stupid and selfish and pathetic - three things she hated - but Marlene was starting to think that she was all of those things. "Can we talk about this tonight?" she whispered. "I don't want to go out there and-"

Lily nodded, getting up from her bed to wrap her arms around her. "It's okay," she murmured, and Marlene hugged her back. It took all of her self-control not to break down just then. She reminded herself that everyone - Isabel, Annika, James, Remus, Peter, Sirius, Ed - would be outside, and they'd all know if she'd been crying... Pulling herself together, she stood up. Lily released her, still looking at her with those bright green eyes.

"You can tell us, whatever it is," she said quietly. Oh, she was good.

Marlene gave them all a teary smile. "I know."

"Group hug?" Mary suggested suddenly.

"Don't be-" Marlene began, but the other two pounced on her, and all four of them wrapped their arms around each other. Marlene was the tallest, resting her chin on the top of Gina's head; Mary's head was snuggled into the crook of Lily's shoulder; Lily wrapped her arm tight around Marlene's neck; and Gina poked Mary, hard.

"That's for poking me at lunch," she whispered. All of them laughed together, but Marlene could hear the sadness in it, like they were all about to cry but couldn't say why.

"I love you guys," Mary said, sounding like she was holding back tears. For once, Gina didn't poke her in response. For once, Lily didn't roll her eyes. For once, Marlene didn't groan.

"Love you too," Marlene whispered. And she did. She realised how lucky she really was, to have friends like them. "Now that we're done with all the silly emotional stuff-"

"Yes, all right," Lily laughed, pulling away. "We won't ruin your image."

"I skipped lunch for you," reminded Gina, going to pick up her books.

"You ate so much!" Mary protested.

"Judging by you, since you eat about as much as a baby rabbit?"

"Oh, ha ha..." With twin waves, Gina and Mary left the dorm for Divination.

"Ready for another hour of slavery?" Lily grimaced.

"Can't wait," replied Marlene. "You know, they should really stop calling them 'free periods'. We are never free."

"Such is the life of a sixth-year."

"It's outrageous. We are, without a doubt, the most hardworking, dedicated lot of sixteen-year-olds in the world."

Lily snorted. "You're including Sirius and Mary in that."

Marlene noticed that she didn't say James. She didn't ask. "Point taken. At least I have you, Miss Talented and Smart..."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Dearborn."

"Oh, all right - can I have a look at your Transfiguration notes?"

"I must really love you," Lily sighed as they sat down, ruffling through her things to pull out some parchment.

Marlene snatched it from her, her mixed emotions slowly fading. She grinned. "You know you do."

_"'Cause all the walls of dreaming,_  
_They were torn wide open"_  
Florence + The Machine, "Blinding"

"Divination is boring me," Mary whispered suddenly, and Gina almost knocked over their crystal ball in surprise.

"Boring you?" Gina said incredulously. "I thought you liked it!"

"Yeah, I-" Mary laughed a little. "I realise how silly I must be to like a subject like this. It's not even guesswork - it's all made up!" She knew she sounded mad, repeating Lily's arguments against the subject when she herself had defended it always.

Sure enough, Gina gave her a strange look. "You okay, Mac?"

"Fine. I just don't want to waste my time here," she lied. She knew she was being too loud, that Professor Daybright would probably hear her. Good, she thought desperately. One weird dream was enough; she didn't need Daybright to go on about her open mind and capability. It had scared her more than she was ready to admit.

"Keep it down," Gina said quietly.

"Yeah, well, it's a stupid class anyway," continued Mary viciously.

A soft cough came from behind her. "Miss Macdonald? Please stay behind for a moment after class." Mary turned to see Professor Daybright standing at her shoulder, her pale face blank.

"Yes, Professor," Mary muttered, hoping she sounded arrogant and rude.

When Daybright had moved to the next table, Gina looked at Mary, shocked. "Mac, you could get in serious trouble!"

"Hopefully she'll throw me out of her class," muttered Mary sullenly.

"What is with you?"

"I don't know. PMS."

Gina nodded slowly, but Mary could tell she was still suspicious. "Good luck facing Daybright in a mood like that."

Mary considered making some more choice statements about the teacher, but then decided against it. She muttered some vague response, and continued to peer into the fathomless depths of the crystal ball.

When the bell signalled the end of the class, she watched everyone else file out, Gina and Hannah giving her sympathetic looks. Mary slouched in her seat purposefully, trying to look forbidding and sullen. It seemed to have no effect on Daybright; when she spoke, her tone was as cheery as her name implied.

"So, might I ask why my favourite student was bashing my class?" Daybright asked casually.

Favourite student? Mary firmly squashed the warm feelings that gave her. She was not going to be flattered into submission. Tilting her chin defiantly, she said nothing. Sighing, Daybright summoned a chair and sat down next to her.

"It's started, hasn't it?"

So she knew. "Saturday night - I had a dream," Mary muttered, squirming in her seat.

"A dream, hmm..." Daybright seemed pleased. "You must be more powerful than I thought. That's fantastic-"

"No, it's not!" Mary snapped. She'd been hoping to deal with the airy professor she knew, but it seemed Daybright had more than one personality. She was being terribly normal and clearheaded. "This is going to ruin my life!"

"My dear, it is a part of your life whether you want it to be or not," said Professor Daybright.

"I don't want it!" Mary fought to keep her voice down, standing up in her frustration. "I don't want this - Sight, or whatever you call it - it's a curse, not a gift!"

"Sit down, and tell me what you saw," Daybright said calmly.

"I'm leaving," Mary announced suddenly. "And I'm not coming back to your class. It'll make everything worse." She walked to the door of the classroom. She knew she could get in very big trouble. She didn't care.

"I could help you," Daybright called. "You don't have to handle this alone."

She laughed bitterly, no longer bothered about keeping a check on her sharp tongue. "Professor, I am a sixteen-year-old girl, not a little boy entering puberty. I am not learning to use this thing, and I never will." And with that, she marched down the corridor, the weight still resting heavily on her shoulders.

_"I just don't know what to do…"_  
The Black Keys, "Too Afraid To Love You"

The free period was intolerably tense; though Marlene had loosened up a bit, Lily could see the worry in her eyes. Everyone sensed it, avoiding her gaze and not saying much. To make matters worse, Sirius and Peter were magically tripping each other at regular intervals, annoying them all. And then there was James, not saying anything. Lily tried to catch his eye more than once, but he ignored her. She wasn't very good at being the object of people's anger, she realised. She could get mad at people at the snap of a finger, but when it came to others being mad at her... She supposed it was quite unfair, but she was only human. And, as she'd expected, the side of her that wanted to beg forgiveness was quickly giving over to the side that wanted to scream and hex everything in sight.

The bell announced the end of the period, and the sixth-years jumped to their feet, openly relieved to escape the uncomfortable scene. Lily patiently waited for Marlene to pick up her things, and then they both noticed James tying his shoelaces and telling the other three Marauders to go on without him. Marlene met Lily's gaze, nodding. With a grateful smile, Lily hurried after James, who had just stepped out of the portrait-hole.

"James!"

He stopped, but didn't turn around. "Evans."

"Can we talk?"

"We're already talking."

She had to hand it to him. No one was as infuriating as he was. Jogging to catch up with him, she said, "I'm sorry about what I said on Saturday."

"I thought we'd settled that." He pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Could you just listen to me for one minute?" Lily said, trying to hold on to her anger. "I didn't mean what I said-"

"Don't give me that," he said. "You bloody well meant it."

"Maybe at the time, but-"

"But what?" He stopped to look at her, cool indifference in his eyes. "But you regret it now? Maybe you should've thought about it before you said it!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you-"

"Hurt me? I'm perfectly fine, Evans. Everything is set straight. All is right in the world."

Lily wanted to scream. It was like she was having the same conversation with him, again and again. She couldn't take it anymore. "Stop it!" she snapped.

"Stop what? You're the one nagging me!" Both of their voices were raised now, echoing through the mostly empty corridor. They were a great distance from the classroom, and it occurred to Lily that they were very, very late. Harper was going to kill them.

"Stop pretending you don't care!" Lily shouted, and it was finally out. She'd been bursting to say those words since their fight, because he was being such an unforgiving, horrid boy, and she was going to explode if she didn't spit it out. "It was your idea that we should be friends in the first place-"

His eyes flashed at her accusing tone. "And it was a bloody stupid idea, I see that now!"

"Don't act like it doesn't matter to you whether or not we're friends! You're hurt because of me, and for some idiotic reason, you don't want to admit that what little friendship we had mattered!" Breathing heavily, Lily glared at him.

"Don't flatter yourself," he spat, storming off. Lily almost threw her textbook at him - who was he kidding? She almost wished his bitterness was a physical thing. She would've plucked it out of his sharp laughter and waved it in front of his face.

"Don't lie to yourself," she said feebly to his back, determined to have the last word.

She could tell he minded. He did. She was sure of it.

Didn't he?

"Don't flatter yourself, Lily," she said quietly, thoughtfully, fearfully.

_"Everybody's just fighting to fit in,_  
_Little rats running mazes, having babies;_  
_It's a vicious little world that we live in"_  
All Time Low, "The Reckless And The Brave"

"Budge over, Evans," Sirius said to Lily, eyeing the space on her bench.

"What do you want?" she hissed back, keeping a wary eye on Harper.

"Just move," he said. "I'll do my best not to tick you off." He quickly stepped across the aisle and sat in next to her. If Harper noticed, she didn't comment.

"Okay, Black, spill," Lily muttered. "What's on that tiny mind of yours?"

"Talking during class?" Sirius teased, earning a glare from her. "Nothing in particular, I just wanted to hang with my favourite Gryffindor redhead."

"I think I'm the only Gryffindor redhead you know," she pointed out.

He frowned, considering. "Ignore that comment, then."

"Please tell me you're not trying to flirt with me."

He patted her head, grinning at the thought of what James would do to him if he was, pissed at Lily or not. "Don't worry, I'd be in danger of being torn to shreds if I was."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sirius sighed. For one of the smartest students in their year, Lily could really be dense. "Never mind. How're you holding up?"

She was still eyeing him suspiciously, but she said, "Okay."

"Okay's good," he nodded, leaning back and stretching. "Ready for the big date on Saturday?"

"Wha- how do you know about that?" she spluttered.

He tried to hold back a scowl at the happy flush spreading over her face. "If you and your pretty-boy didn't play tonsil hockey during meals in public areas, I wouldn't know."

"You weren't even there then! And don't call him that!"

"Aha, so you were playing tonsil hockey." He grinned at her dark expression.

"Oh, shut up, Black. Aren't you not supposed to be talking to me, since your best mate's declared a passive war between us?" she said irritably.

"Come on, Lily. Since when do I obey the nuances of passive war?"

"How do you even know the word 'nuance'?"

"For Merlin's sake," Sirius said, annoyed, "I am not daft, though everyone seems to think it-"

"And this surprises you?"

He threw his hands up in exasperation. "And this is what I get for trying to have a casual, polite conversation!"

"During class, with one of our most terrifying teachers," added Lily.

"No, I've done detention with Harper, she's a good sort. We're chums." He grinned at the memory.

"It's been a month since school started! How did you manage to get detention with Harper?"

"And this surprises you?" he countered.

"No, to be honest," she admitted. "But I haven't seen you do anything in her class."

"Oh, so you were occupied during the Great Levicorpus Incident?"

"The Great- what are you talking about?"

Sirius nodded sagely. "I'll admit, things got a bit chaotic, people hanging by the ankle left right and centre, and randomly dropping too, but it was a memorable day." She looked at him blankly. "During our first non-verbal class?" he prompted. "I dunno how anyone could've missed it."

"I might've heard a commotion at one point but..." She trailed off.

Sirius frowned after the moment of silence that followed. "You know, we really don't have much to talk about."

"We don't," Lily agreed. "So why don't you go back?"

"Why aren't you sitting with your friends?" he asked, ignoring her hopeful suggestion.

"I wanted to concentrate on class," she said.

Sirius could tell she was lying, but he didn't say anything. "Well, Evans, you're boring."

"A bit," she sighed.

"I'm off." He crossed the aisle back to his table, and flopped down next to Remus. "She's boring," he told him.

"Is she?" Remus said, sounding amused.

"Very," Sirius replied, casting a surreptitious glance at his friend. Remus looked surprisingly well; he'd recovered very quickly from his last transformation, and even though there were bags under his eyes, he looked mostly normal. "Doesn't seem too upset."

Remus snorted, adding something to his notes. "She's seething, look at her." Sirius looked; Lily appeared to be trying to either snap her quill or drill a hole in the table.

"How strange," he said thoughtfully. "She seemed fine. Maybe my presence cheered her up."

Remus patted his arm. "I'm sure it did."

"Is Prongs as livid as ever?"

"He's cooled down, actually."

"That's good." Sirius paused. "I think the first month was too exciting."

"Sorry?"

"The first month had so much going on, we're all going to suffer for it for the next few weeks."

"Nice observation. Thinking of going back to Divination?" Remus said absently.

Sirius cracked a grin. "Well, the class is mostly full of girls, and it's got very dim lighting..."

Remus shook his head, smiling. "I should've seen that coming."

"Yeah, you walked right into that one, mate." Sirius leaned back in his seat.

"Give me something to think about."

"Like what? Why're you so twitchy anyways?"

"Because it's November," blurted out Sirius before he could stop himself. "Er, I don't like November?" he offered at the strange look Remus gave him.

"All right," Remus said finally, returning to his notes. "But if you ask me, this is just more proof that you're loony-"

"I'm not the one whose nickname rhymes with it," pointed out Sirius, relieved that Remus had bought his stupid excuse. The bell tolled loudly, cutting off Remus's answer. Sirius sprang up from his seat, relieved. "What do we have next?" he said with false cheer.

"Care of Magical Creatures," supplied Remus. Sirius groaned.

"Why do we take that subject?"

"You said something about it being a laugh; I take it because I need practise dealing with you lot."

Sirius punched Remus at that. "Very funny, Moony, I'm dying of laughter here."

"I try," chuckled Remus. James and Peter caught up to them, James holding a cigarette between his fingers. "You're going to lose points for that," Remus added, eyeing it.

"I'll win it back somehow," said James nonchalantly, taking a long drag. Sirius squinted at it.

"Hey, that's mine!" he said angrily.

"Oh, right." James glanced at it thoughtfully. "Padfoot, can I borrow a fag? Thanks, mate, you're the best."

Sirius snatched the cig from him. "What a waste," he said mournfully, grinding it into a stone wall as they passed.

"Mr Black! No smoking in the corridors!"

Sirius froze at the sound of McGonagall's voice. "Oops," he said softly. The Deputy Headmistress shot him a glare.

"Ten points from Gryffindor," she said. "And detention on Saturday."

"Detention?" Sirius repeated incredulously. "I was putting it out!"

"Need I remind you of the number of times I have warned you about smoking?"

"It was me, Professor," James cut in.

"Oi, stop trying to steal my detention," Sirius hissed. To McGonagall, he said, "It's my cigarette, Professor. I promise."

McGonagall gave them both a severe glance. "Detention on Saturday for both of you," she amended. "And twenty more points from Gryffindor." Ignoring the boys' loud protests, she strode away. Shaking his head, Sirius said, "Sometimes, I think the woman enjoys taking points from her own house."

"She just enjoys giving you detention," Peter snorted.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure she and Filch have a good laugh when Padfoot and I mop floors for them," muttered James.

"It's a conspiracy," agreed Sirius.

Remus smirked. "Congratulations on your first detention of the year, Prongs."

"Blimey, I never noticed that! We should celebrate tonight!" James exclaimed.

"And get more detentions?"

"Why not?"

Sirius patted him on the back. "Spoken like a true Marauder," he said, earning another eye-roll from Remus.

"Come on, we're late for class."

"And we're working with stupid Nifflers again," Sirius groaned. "They're so boring."

"But they're pretty useful," Peter said.

"Yeah, if you want to find Kettleburn's leprechaun gold," snorted James, pulling out another cigarette from his pocket as they stepped out of the castle.

"When did you become a chain smoker?" Remus asked.

"Since Lily Evans," said Peter wisely.

"You stole my entire pack, you wanker!" Sirius shouted.

"Maybe you shouldn't leave it lying around then," James retorted.

"You'll set the Forbidden Forest on fire if you take that to class, James," Remus interrupted.

"Exactly, idiot," muttered Sirius, taking the unlit cigarette and slipping it into his pocket. James sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I'm bored," he announced. Sirius grinned, knowing exactly what that meant. He shoved his hands into his pockets, thinking of all the possible pranks they could pull with Nifflers.

"This will be good."

"Steady now, steady now,  
Don't fear what you can't see"  
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, "The Lion the Beast the Beat"

He wasn't wrong - although, that depends on the definition of good, James thought after class.

James had levitated all the shiny objects the students had discarded into Kettleburn's pockets, and every single Niffler had swarmed onto him, until he was practically buried in them, his shouts muffled. Of course, one quick Banishing Spell and Kettleburn de-Nifflered himself, his wrinkly old face red with rage. He took one look at the Marauders and their poker faces, and gave them all detention.

"Now that," Remus said as they walked back to the castle, "was ridiculous. Peter and I didn't even do anything."

"I feel betrayed, Moony," Sirius said, still chortling at the memory of Professor Kettleburn covered in Nifflers.

"I'm just glad class is over," sighed James, running a hand through his hand. "Now I can finally do the things that matter..."

"Like what?" Sirius asked. "Pranks? Marauding? Mary Macdonald?"

"No - hang on, Mac?" James stared at his friend with a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

Sirius shrugged. "Why not? She's fit."

James, Remus, and Peter exchanged glances. For the self-proclaimed most observant wizard ever, James thought, Sirius was completely blind. "Just don't say that around Marlene," James muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. Actually, when I said 'important things', I meant sleep."

"Sleep?" Peter sounded horrified. "Why on earth do you want to sleep?"

James shrugged since he didn't really know why he wanted to sleep. It had been something of an automatic conclusion, since he couldn't think of anything else to do. "I'm tired," he said flatly.

"You were bored," Sirius said, bewildered, "and now you're tired? Are you sure it isn't your time of month, Prongs - ow!" James shoved him roughly.

"Why can't a bloke be tired? The past month has been really exhausting, what with Death Eater activity and all..."

"Yes, and that's finally over," Remus muttered.

"Touch wood," Peter said suddenly, earning confused looks from the other three.

"Sorry?" James said, thinking he'd misheard.

"It's a Muggle thing," he explained. "You say something that you hope won't happen, and just because you say it won't happen, it will. So, you touch wood for luck."

Remus shook his head. "That was a very bad explanation."

"It was," Peter admitted. "But you should probably touch wood anyway."

"Does my wand count?" Remus asked mildly.

"Too late," said Sirius shortly.

"What d'you mean, too..." Peter trailed off, his eyes growing enormous. "Merlin's beard."

James followed their shocked gazes to the stone castle wall, familiar red letters scrawled across it.

THE PURE WILL TRIUMPH  
THE CLEANSING WILL RESUME

"Get a teacher," Remus said instantly.

"I'll go, you lot stay here-" James began.

"No, we shouldn't tell anyone," Sirius said. The other three stared at him.

"Are you mental? We don't have time to argue about this!" said James. "I'm gonna go get McGonagall-"

"And cause an enormous panic? It's probably just one of Lila's mates trying to scare everyone. We'll clean it off now, and keep our mouths shut." Sirius looked at them for agreement. James hesitated; he knew it was a bad idea, but Sirius seemed unusually determined.

"The last time we didn't involve anyone else-"

"The last time?" Peter interrupted, looking confused.

"It worked out, didn't it?" Sirius finished, a note of excitement entering his voice. "We caught her!"

"Of course you didn't just happen to look at the map that night," Peter was saying, almost to himself. "Why didn't you tell me?" He looked accusingly at the other Marauders, and all of them except Sirius squirmed under his gaze.

"Pete, we didn't want - you were Imperiused," James said, feeling more uncomfortable by the second.

"And so? You would've told Sirius!"

James had never seen his friend look so furious. "That's because he'd have found out anyway."

"Oh, so you were just playing Let's Keep Peter In The Dark, Because He Wouldn't Figure It Out Either Way?"

"It's not like that, mate," Remus said quietly.

"Then what's it like?" Peter shot back.

"Can we please have this conversation, scintillating as it is, at a more appropriate time?" Sirius interrupted loudly. Peter scowled.

"We have to tell someone," Remus said. "We can't hide something like this from-"

"Hide something like what?" a girl's voice said.

"And from whom?" said another. The Marauders froze. Isabel and Annika turned the corner, wearing twin expressions of puzzlement. James heard Sirius murmur "Scourgify," and he knew that if he turned to look, the writing on the wall would be gone.

"Prongs and Padfoot's secret relationship," Remus said, grinning easily. James shot him a mock-glare. "Not so secret anymore," he amended.

"No thanks to you," James grumbled.

"I thought this was only a monthly conversation?" Sirius chimed in.

"You're getting worse by the day," said Peter, but he sounded a bit distant.

The girls threw them strange looks. "You're very odd," Annika said finally.

"Queer, really," Isabel agreed, smirking at her own wordplay. "I'm not surprised though."

"Our affair is falling apart," James said to Sirius dryly.

"Well, you have my blessing. Come on, Annika, I'm starving." They walked past the Marauders, oblivious to their rigid stances and covert glances. The moment they disappeared from sight, James let out a sigh of relief. Remus immediately rounded on Sirius.

"Why did you erase it?" he demanded.

"Because they would've seen it!" Sirius said, crossing his arms.

"We're going to tell-"

"We can't," James said, making all three of the boys glance at him. "We can't tell anyone now."

"We'll tell McGonagall-" Remus began.

"What? That there was a message we saw, but it disappeared? That we wiped it off?" James shook his head. "We've got no choice but to shut up about it."

Remus didn't say anything, but he looked displeased. Peter's mask had slipped, and his angry expression had returned. Sirius was scowling defiantly. For a moment, James was taken aback by the sight. A few weeks before, the idea of them fighting would've been laughable. But then again, so was the idea of them missing the full moon, and leaving Peter out... He shook himself. There was no time for him to sit and whine about how things had changed.

_Man up, Potter,_ he said to himself.

"Come on, we'll miss dinner," he said, breaking the tense silence. He thought they would argue, but each of them nodded, even if it was grudgingly. Running a hand through his hair, he started back towards the castle, curiously relieved when he heard their footsteps behind him.

* * *

**A/N:** Ah, yet another complete chapter. The bad news is, we've drained my supply of pre-written chapters. The good news is, I'll be on vacation (!) in a few more days, so I will not hesitate to have several sleepless nights for this story. It is a noble cause.

Anyway, review! I won't bribe you with baked goodies this time. I will...

Okay, I'm bribing you with baked goodies. Review!

Love,

Tessa.


End file.
